Take Me Away
by lizfanfiction
Summary: Threequel to Highway to Hell and Love and War.  Five months after we last saw them, our favorite docs are now preparing for the holiday season.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Well here it is, the final installment. I hope everybody enjoys it. I'd just like to dedicated this to JMAC, who has always wanted Christmas in June. (And for those who haven't read HTH or LAW, read the prologue. If you have read them, you can skip it if you really want to.)

Take Me Away – By Liz

**Prologue**

When a quarantined child came down with mysterious symptoms, the Diagnostic team was called to the scene. It wasn't easy though, because Cuddy rented them an SUV instead of buying plane tickets. After putting up a fight, the team finally agreed to go on a road trip to Louisiana together, where their patient waited.

Chase was still infatuated with Cameron for the entire trip, but only until he met the lovely Nurse Katie. Meanwhile, Cameron and House finally broke their own barriers and formed a secret relationship with some thanks to a bag of skittles and an SUV that ran out of gas. House was also reunited with a blast from his past, his cousin Ray, a molecular psychiatrist who was called to consult on the case.

With help from Ray, House eventually diagnosed the patient with Morgellons disease. Since it is a very questionable disease, Ray took the child on as a research subject. Ray now practices at Princeton Plainsboro, alongside Dr. Whitner, with thanks to a research grant from Cuddy. Nurse Katie also decided to be transferred to Princeton Plainsboro so she could be with Dr. Chase.

As soon as the team returned to Princeton, Cameron was called to the ICU. Her brother-in-law, Charlie, had recently been in a car accident. He suffered from amnesia, but when he finally regained his memory, Charlie confessed to his wife, Angela, that he was having an affair. Now Angela and Grace, her daughter, (who evidently, isn't really Charlie's daughter) are on their own.

Angela and Charlie weren't the only ones with relationship problems though. House and Cameron tried to keep their relationship a secret for as long as possible, but Wilson and Cuddy soon found out… but only because they too were seeing each other. An agreement was made to keep both relationships secret, but it didn't last for very long. As soon as the hospital found out about the relationship between House and Cameron, all hell broke loose.

House and Cameron began to ignore each other in fear that the other was upset. Wilson and Cuddy started to fight because Cuddy was upset about Wilson's unfaithfulness to her (he had a fling with Ray), and she became even more distressed with the fact that she was also carrying his child (a boy). Katie suggested that Chase was still in love with Cameron, and she was spot on. Ray and Whitner began to argue over the importance of science versus emotion.

In the end, though, life sorted itself out. Cameron finally agreed to move into House's apartment. Cuddy finally looked past Wilson's infidelity and realized that they were meant to be. Katie appreciated the fact that Chase was trying to make her happy, not Cameron, and took him back; they are even going to spend Christmas together in Australia. Ray and Whitner ended on friendly terms, as well, with the agreement to be more mindful of each other's needs.

And now, we find our favorite gang from Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital as they prepare for the holiday season.


	2. Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

**It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas**

November 30, 2007 – 4:37pm

December hadn't even arrived, and yet the streets of Princeton were already lined with holiday lights. Thanksgiving dinner was done and over with, and everybody was now busy shopping for Christmas gifts and Chanukah presents. Well, that is except for the doctors of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

"Do you think there's anything you can do for it?"

House sat on the stool of Exam 2 as a patient begged him for some possible treatment for her cellulite. "Of course, because swim suit season is so close."

The woman almost gasped at his rudeness, but chose not to.

House released a bored sigh as he pulled out his prescription pad. He scribbled something down on the sheet before ripping it off and handing it to the woman on the examination table.

The woman took it thankfully, but she was confused by what House had written. "No Fear?" She looked up at House for an explanation.

"L-Carnitine has been known to reduce cellulite."

She was still confused. "Then what—?"

House rolled his eyes. Some people! "It's an L-Carnitine rich energy drink."

Her jaw dropped. "Aren't those dangerous?"

House popped a vicodin pill before responding. "Only if you're an addict."

She looked carefully at the prescription. "Isn't there anything else you can do?"

House sighed and rolled his eyes. Doesn't anybody trust their doctor these days? Before he could answer her, though, Cameron walked through the door.

"Are you almost ready to go?"

"Excuse me," said House, feigning rudeness. "I'm with a patient here."

Cameron chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that. How much longer are you going to be?"

House sighed. "What is your big hurry?"

Cameron hesitated and began to shift back and forth uncomfortably. House knew she was hiding something from him.

"Allison…," he repeated. "What is the big hurry?"

Cameron bit her lip and turned her attention towards the patient on the examination table. "What are you in here for?"

House looked at Cameron. She was definitely hiding something good if she was going to just ignore him and change the subject like that. On the other hand, she was taking over the patient. That was definitely an up-side.

The patient looked at House, then at Cameron, still unsure about the both of them. Nonetheless, she responded to Cameron's question. "I came in for cellulite treatment." She jumped off the table and started to raiser her skirt. "Do you need to see it?"

Cameron quickly raised her hands and looked away. "No, that's quite alright." She looked at the paper in the woman's hand. "If Dr. House has already written you a prescription, then why are you still here?"

The woman looked at the prescription again before answering Cameron. "It's for an energy drink."

Cameron's jaw dropped and she turned to House. "What is wrong with you, Greg?!"

House frowned. He got up and grabbed his cane. As he began to limp out the door, he muttered under his breath, "Nobody wants to have any fun anymore."

Cameron shook her head in disbelief. She and the patient were now the only ones in Exam 2. "If you really want to get rid of the cellulite, I'd just suggest some aerobic exercises and strength training."

The woman looked at the skinny doctor and frowned. "But will the energy drink work?"

Cameron rolled her eyes and grabbed the prescription from the woman's hands and ripped it into pieces. "Just do the damn exercises." With that, Cameron clicked her pointy stilettos out of the exam room and went in search of House.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy frantically dashed around her office in search of all her things. She had finally finished her work for the New Year's Eve Charity Ball, and it was time to go home. Wilson was probably wondering where she was by now. She was supposed to meet him at his office thirty minutes ago so they could go pick their son up from daycare together. Right as Cuddy had finally put on her coat and grabbed her things, though, Wilson walked through the door with his son in one hand and his briefcase in the other. He already had his coat and scarf on and was ready to go home. Cuddy grinned at the sight.

"There's my men!"

Wilson smiled at her as he walked into her office and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"How was my little boy today?" Cuddy cooed to her son.

Wilson looked at the child who was giggling in his car seat. "They said he was great today."

Cuddy smiled down at him. "That's what I like to hear." She gave him a peck on the forehead before standing back up and walking towards the door. "Now let's get home. I'm starving!"

Wilson laughed. "You read my mind."

Together, they walked towards the entrance to the hospital. Nurses and doctors all smiled as they saw the family walk by. They had to be one of the cutest sights to ever pass through those doors.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cameron finally caught up with House as he was waiting for the elevator. She darted down the hall to meet up with him. House turned and looked to see who was running down the hall, and when he realized it was Cameron, he smiled.

"Are you going to tell me your dirty little secret now?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're hiding something."

Cameron sighed. "Okay, yes I am."

House grinned. "Hah! I knew it! What is it?"

"Can this please wait until we get home?"

House looked at her, his eyes piercing through Cameron's. Something told him that she preferred to do this in the privacy of their home. "Fine, but you're telling me right when we get home."

Cameron nodded in agreement as the elevator doors opened. "So what do you want to do for dinner then?"

House allowed Cameron to enter the elevator before him. "I was just planning on grabbing some Chinese food."

Cameron smiled. It was cheap; it was fast; it was easy. "Sounds great."

House and Cameron got off on their floor and walked down to the Diagnostics Department to pick up House's things before heading home. House looked around the office. Foreman and Adler were sitting at the glass table in the Conference Room discussing their last case, but Chase was no where in sight.

"Where's Chase?" asked House.

Cameron looked up at him as she made sure to grab House's iPod (he was always forgetting that in one place or another). "He and Katie left for Australia yesterday, remember?"

House grabbed the last of his things and headed towards the door. "And he expects me to let him have all of December off until New Years?"

Cameron chuckled. "You did authorize it. Besides, most of those days are just vacation days anyways."

House and Cameron walked down the hall and into the elevator again, this time heading towards Immunology. "Remind me again why I'm letting him take a month off of work."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "You aren't just giving it to him. He's using his own vacation days."

"So."

"Because you wanted to be nice to Chase and Katie and let them go to Australia?"

"That doesn't sound like something I would do."

"You're right," agreed Cameron as they reached Immunology. She began to grab her things. "Maybe you just did it because you knew it would make me happy to see them happy."

"That sounds like something I would do."

Cameron smirked and put on her coat, hat, and scarf. It made her look so young and beautiful. House wouldn't trade her in for the world. "Alright, let's hit the road."

House and Cameron took the elevator to the bottom floor of the hospital and started walking towards the entrance. Thankfully they were parked close since House had his handicapped space and they were able to come to work together now. The hospital employees seemed to have gotten used to the fact that the two of them actually had a pretty serious relationship going.

& - & - & - & - & - &

As House and Cameron were heading towards the front door, they ran into Wilson and Cuddy. Cameron nearly squealed at the sight. Ever since his birth, Cameron had always spent as much time with Cuddy and Wilson's child as possible. They had even made House and Cameron his godparents.

"Hey there!" cooed Cameron has she bent down to see the little boy. "How was your day?"

"It was great." Wilson answered for his son. "According to everyone at the daycare, he was fantastic all day long."

Cameron smiled. "That's good to hear."

House watched as Cameron admired the child. "I don't know why they always say RJ behaves in daycare. He never behaves when you make me baby sit him."

Cuddy smirked. "That's because he doesn't like you calling him RJ. His name is Riley, House, _Riley_."

"Trust me, in 10 years; he'll want to go by RJ."

"Yeah, maybe." Wilson rolled his eyes. "Look, we really have to get home. We'll talk to you guys later, okay?"

Everybody said their goodbyes to one another before heading their separate ways. Wilson and Cuddy took Riley home, and they all sat down for a nice family meal. House and Cameron, on the other hand, picked up some Chinese take-out before heading back to their apartment.


	3. I Have a Little Dreidel

**I Have a Little Dreidel **

November 30, 2007 – 6:19pm (Friday)

It was the Friday before Chanukah began, and Wilson and Cuddy were busy pulling out boxes of decorations to put up around the house. Sure, they both celebrated Chanukah, but they didn't usually go all out when it came to celebrating holidays. This holiday was different, though. This year, both of their families were coming to Princeton to celebrate Chanukah with them. They supposed it was their excuse to intrude upon their lives and meet not only Riley, but also the person that they were now living with. Of course it would be nice to celebrate Chanukah with their families again, but it was also going to be rather hard as well.

"Is that the last box?" asked Wilson as he stirred a mixture of vegetables into a pot. Tonight he was fixing a pot roast for dinner. It had been cooking all day, and now it just needed some more vegetables for taste.

Meanwhile, Cuddy was pulling out any and all decorations that she could find. Her parents and Wilson's parents both emphasized the importance of religion, and they wouldn't like it one bit if Riley's first Chanukah was not celebrated properly. "I think so."

Wilson started cleaning his cleaning utensils. "I'll help you set everything out after dinner."

Cuddy smiled. "How much longer until dinner? It smells fantastic!" She walked into the kitchen and peeked over Wilson's shoulder.

Wilson chuckled. "It's almost done."

"Good, because I'm starving." She started pulling out plates, forks, and cups for her and Wilson. When she was done, she grabbed Riley from his playpen and breastfed him his dinner. By the time he'd had enough to eat, Wilson had finished preparing dinner for himself and Cuddy. He set two plates full of food on the table as Cuddy placed Riley back in his playpen.

"Dinner is served," joked Wilson as he sat down at the table.

Cuddy and Wilson both enjoyed their dinner and discussed plans for the month to come.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House and Cameron arrived at their apartment to find that it was dark and silent, except for the sound of Steve McQueen's wheel spinning in his cage. Cameron took the liberty of turning on some lights while House set their Chinese food on the coffee table and flipped through the channels on the television. As Cameron returned to the living room, she saw House seated on the couch. She took a seat next to him, and they both started to dig into the containers of food.

House turned to Cameron and asked her a question with his mouth full of food. "So what were you going to tell me?"

Cameron almost laughed. "Don't speak with your mouth full."

House swallowed and repeated. "What were you going to tell me?"

Cameron stared at her food briefly in hesitation. "I got a call from my mom today."

This wasn't going to end good for him, thought House. "Go on…."

"She wants me to come home for Christmas."

Oh god. House hated parents. But this was Christmas; that meant it was more than parents. It was a whole family! Still, he didn't have the heart to disappoint Cameron. This was her choice. "What did you say?"

"I told her about you."

Oh goody. "What did she say?"

"She said that I should bring you with me," said Cameron as she squirmed in her seat. She suddenly couldn't find a comfortable position. She knew House wouldn't want to spend Christmas with her entire family, but she might as well ask. "Do you want to come with me?"

She was going to go even if he didn't? Well, there was certainly no way he was going to let them spend their first Christmas together apart. It just wouldn't seem right. So, he just shrugged and tried his best to act nonchalant about the whole situation. "Yeah, I guess so."

Cameron was so relieved, but she still got the feeling that House wasn't too excited about the situation. "It's not going to be that bad, you know."

Why didn't House believe her? "I never said it was going to be bad."

Cameron bit her lip until a thought crossed her mind. "You know, Grace and Angi will be there. I'm sure Grace would love to play video games with you whenever you guys are bored."

House smiled at the thought. He _did_ love playing games with Grace. She was better than the average 11-year-old, and she had good taste in games too. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "So, who all is going to be there?"

Cameron thought about it for a moment. "Well, my parents of course. My brother, Danny, is going there from Boston. Angela and Grace are driving there from New York. That's probably everyone staying at the house."

"What do you mean by _everyone staying at the house_?" It was official. This _definitely_ was not going to end well for him.

"Well, House, it's Christmas!" It had always been an important holiday in her family. "I'm sure my grandmother will be stopping by the house quite a bit, and my aunt and uncle and their kids will be too."

Oh god, kill House now. "More kids?"

Cameron laughed. "They only have two kids, House. They're twins."

That could be interesting. "Twins, you say?"

Cameron giggled as she thought about all the possible thoughts that were probably running through House's head. "They're fraternal twins."

"So they don't have those rhyming names then?" What a disappointment. No jokes about horror movies or funny names.

Cameron laughed again and shook her head. "Afraid not. Their names are Matthew and Lillian. They're sixteen."

House frowned. He would have to find a way to make fun of them somehow.

"You'll like them," elaborated Cameron. She really wanted House to like her two cousins. It was for that reason that she never told him that Grace had never really had a liking for either of them. She inched closer to House on the couch. "And I'm sure that everybody is going to love you as much as I do." She placed a sweet kiss on his neck that made him close his eyes.

"When do we leave?"

"Well, they want me to be there by this Friday, so we should probably leave on Wednesday or Thursday."

House opened his eyes and sat up straight. "What do you mean? It's a short flight."

"House, it's only a 12 hour drive."

"You expect me to drive there?!"

"It's only to Chicago!"

House heaved a sigh as he sunk into the back of the couch. He closed his eyes and thought about what he was getting himself into. Still, he couldn't help but remember that he was doing it all for Cameron. "Fine…."

Cameron nearly squealed as she hugged House. "Thank you so much for doing this for me. I promise everything is going to be great, okay?"

"Your apparent need to reassure me is making me think you're overcompensating for something."

Cameron blushed. "Sorry, it's just—."

"Allison, I get it."

Cameron sighed. "I really do promise that it'll be great though."

"That's what everyone always says before their parents actual meet their boyfriend."

Cameron didn't even bother to respond to House's comment; instead, she just snuggled into his side. Truth be told, she was a little worried about how this trip would turn out. House didn't really have a reputation for good first impressions, or second impressions, or any impressions for that matter. She just hoped that both he and her parents would behave themselves. She really wanted her first Christmas with House to be a magical one.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Once they were done with dinner, Cuddy took Riley into the living room and began to play with him as Wilson dug through boxes of Chanukah decorations. He finally pulled out a menorah and some lights. When everything was put in its proper place, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small box. He walked into the living room and handed it to Cuddy.

"I bought you something," he said as he handed her the box. "Well, it's for you and Riley I guess."

Cuddy smiled and took the box from him. Inside was a beautiful clay dreidel. Every detail was carefully painted, and it seemed so fragile, but she knew it would be okay to play with it. She smiled even wider when she saw the writing on the top of the dreidel:

_Riley James Wilson_

Wilson sat down on the floor next to Cuddy and Riley. Cuddy gave him a thankful hug, and Wilson proceeded to show Riley how to play the dreidel game. Both he and Cuddy knew that he didn't understand or comprehend a word they were saying, but it comforted them nonetheless to know that they finally had someone to pass their knowledge on to and share their love with.


	4. I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You

**I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You**

December 5, 2007 – 2:58pm (Wednesday)

The afternoon was approaching, and House and Cameron were about to announce their vacation to Foreman and Adler before heading home to pack. They'd already informed Cuddy that they would be taking the next three weeks off of work, but House never really made it a point to inform his own department. Just as he packed up the last of his things, though, Cuddy marched through the door to his office with a file in hand.

"You've got a case."

House looked at her curiously. "No I don't."

Cuddy dropped the file on his desk. "Now you do."

"I told you already; I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

Cuddy nodded. "Just take a look in the file."

House rolled his eyes and picked up the file. "Baby Boy Tobey— what a unique name, don't you think?"

"His mother's been a little stressed lately what with him dying and all. I don't think she's had the time to think of names."

House continued to read the file. "Two weeks old, born prematurely, blah… blah… blah. Tell me when this gets interesting."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Keep reading."

"Born blue— I have to admit, that is insanely cool, but diagnostically boring."

Cuddy was getting bored now. "Keep going."

"He was immediately put on a respirator— that was a good idea."

"Are you going to add commentary to every note in his chart?"

"I thought it was my job."

Touché. "Just keep reading."

"Two weeks later, his skin his no longer blue." House closed the file and dropped it on his desk. "What an interesting case!"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. She picked up the folder and shoved it in House's chest. "There's more."

House sighed and skipped to the bottom. "Two weeks later, and he is no longer blue. His skin color has taken on a… bronze color?"

Cuddy smirked.

"Why did you make me read the story? Couldn't you have just skipped to the ending?"

Cuddy turned around quickly to leave, but stopped at the door. "House, have a nice trip."

"I thought I had a case." He was trying to get out of the trip, but he knew there was no way Cuddy was going to let him.

"You still have Foreman and Adler. They can handle things around here."

"Adler's new. She's still getting used to—."

"Stop trying to get out of this trip, House," interrupted Cuddy. "If Cameron wants to take you home to meet the family, it must mean that she really cares about you. It would do you some good to show her that love in return."

House stared at the file before nodding his acknowledgement to Cuddy.

Cuddy repeated her well-wishes before leaving. "Have a nice trip, House."

House stared at the file briefly, but eventually he just gave up. He was too tired and lazy to review the file of a patient he wouldn't even be seeing. Instead, he just walked into the Conference Room where Foreman and Adler were busy with their charting.

"Lady and Gentleman, I give you the Case of the Magical-Color-Changing Baby," said House. He dropped the file on the glass table and grabbed a marker. He wrote the newborn's symptoms on the whiteboard.

**Premature Birth**

**Blue Skin**

**Bronze Skin**

Adler sat up straight and looked at the board, confused. "How can he have blue and bronze skin?"

Foreman scoffed. "His skin changed from blue to bronze?"

House shrugged. "I don't know; is that what the file said?"

Foreman and Adler rolled their eyes, but House didn't notice them because he was grabbing his jacket, hat, and knapsack.

"Where are you going?" asked Adler quickly.

House turned to look at them. "Chicago," was his only answer before he left his two ducklings to be. Cuddy or Wilson would probably explain his whole trip to them later.

Once House had left, Adler turned to Foreman with shock written all over her face. "Was he serious?"

Foreman simply shrugged before picking up the file and reading it over again. If House was serious, then there was nothing they could do to stop him. If he wasn't, then he was obviously busy, and they still couldn't stop him. If House didn't come back, Foreman was sure that Cuddy would fill them in on the details though.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House arrived at the Immunology Department to find Cameron and her colleagues all missing. The only person in the office was Maxwell, and he was busy organizing some of his files. How rude it was to put _his _filing cabinet in _their_ office. What a selfish man. House stopped at the doorway, not sure if he should wait inside or outside for Cameron. Dr. Maxwell finally realized that he was standing there, though, and acknowledged him.

"Oh, Dr. House, what a pleasure to see you."

Well, he'd been discovered. He might as well wait inside now. At least there were chairs in there. So, House walked into the office and took a seat at Cameron's desk. It was organized… too organized. Cameron needed to find a more productive use of her time than organizing her desk. Making coffee for him would have been better. House looked around her desk more and smiled as he saw a small whiteboard that she'd hung up on the wall. He had given it to her as a birthday present several months ago. Needless to say, she really liked it.

Maxwell frowned at Dr. House. He had greeted him kindly, and yet the diagnostician still ignored him. How rude. "I assume you are waiting for Dr. Cameron."

House shook his head. "My chair was getting a little worn out; just wanted to see if you guys had any good ones I could have Foreman steal for me."

Maxwell wasn't sure if he should take House seriously or not. He decided not to. "She'll be back in a few minutes. She should be done with her rounds soon."

House rolled his eyes with boredom. So Maxwell wanted to make small-talk, eh? "So she told you about her vacation, then?"

Maxwell nodded. "I couldn't believe her at first. I mean, honestly. Did she really expect me to give her a month off of work?" He saw the disgusted look on House's face. "As a department head, you must know what I mean."

House shrugged. "I just gave one of my underlings a month off of work with the agreement that they all come from his vacation days."

Maxwell squirmed uneasily. "You gave one of your staff members a whole month off?"

House shrugged. "It's no biggie. I mean, you have other staff members, right?"

Maxwell subconsciously looked at the other desks in the office. Yes, he had other staff members. Maybe it would be okay to let Cameron go on this vacation.

Cameron entered the office with a frown on her face. She was prepared to tell House that they couldn't go to Chicago. In fact, she'd already called her parents earlier that day. They were beyond upset, of course. However, when Cameron saw House sitting in her chair, she almost smiled until she remembered the bad news. "Greg, I have something to tell you…."

House looked at Cameron, but cast Maxwell a glance before doing so. "What is it, Allison? I hope it has nothing to do with our trip to Chicago. I've been looking forward to it ever since you suggested it." House overdid it, and Cameron knew it. She just didn't know why he'd overdone it. What was he getting at?

Maxwell interrupted their conversation. "Um, Dr. Cameron?"

Cameron turned to look at Maxwell. "Yes?"

"I've changed my mind. I'm sure Dr. Werner could monitor your patients for you while you're gone."

Cameron looked at House and wondered what he'd done. She turned back to Maxwell. "Really? Thank you so much! Oh, this is such great news."

House stood up from his seat at Cameron's desk. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Cameron turned to House, a smile now spreading across her face. "Oh, um, never mind. Are you ready to go?"

House nodded, and Cameron quickly grabbed her jacket, hat, scarf, and briefcase. She turned to Maxwell and thanked him before she and House left.

Once House and Cameron were out of the Immunology Department's ear-shot, Cameron quickly leaned towards House and smirked. "What did you do?"

House simply shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."


	5. Christmas Island

**Christmas Island**

December 6, 2007 – 12:26pm (Thursday)

Chase and Katie both agreed to spend the first week of their vacation together, away from Chase's family. They wanted to have some time to their selves before Katie had to meet everybody and Chase had to deal with his step-family. Unfortunately, that week was over, and it was time to drive down to Melbourne where family awaited.

It wasn't a very long drive since Chase and Katie had been staying in Sydney, but it was still nerve-racking nonetheless. Chase wasn't eager at all to spend his Christmas with his step-sister and step-mother, but secretly he couldn't wait to see Carly again. Katie was just nervous to be visiting Chase's family for the first time, and it didn't really help that it was in a country she wasn't familiar with.

As soon as Chase parked the rental car outside the house, a teenage girl came running from the inside the house. It was obvious that she'd been sitting by the window, just waiting for her Robbie to come home. Katie looked at the girl; she had light blonde hair (similar to Chase's and her own) and chocolate brown eyes. She seemed happy and perky. She and Chase definitely had a lot in common. As soon as Chase stepped out of the car, the young girl wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Katie smiled. Chase must have been a great older brother. She stepped out of the car to meet the young girl.

"Robbie, I'm so glad you finally came to visit," she squealed in a heavy Australian accent.

Chase pulled away from the hug and smiled at his younger sister. "I'm just glad I was able to take time off of work."

Katie and Carly both laughed.

Chase introduced the two of them to each other. "Carly, this is Katie. Katie, this is my sister, Carly." Carly was really only his half-sister (his father's daughter), but Chase had always had a closer relationship to her than his step-sister, so he felt comfortable just calling her his sister.

Carly gave Katie a welcoming hug and greeted her warmly. Unfortunately, Chase's step-sister wasn't as welcoming when it came to Americans (or anybody Chase brought home for that matter). She walked out of the house alongside her mother to greet Chase and the pretty young blonde at his side. When she and her mother finally reached the car, she hesitated before sticking her hand out to the young woman.

"Katrina," she said curtly.

Katie didn't like her already, but she took her hand anyways. "Actually my name's Katie."

Katrina rolled her eyes and let go of Katie's hand. "I was telling you _my_ name."

Katie glanced at Chase. He didn't seem to like Katrina much either. "I was only making a joke…."

Katrina didn't think the joke was very funny, and neither did her mother. She, too, offered her hand to Katie and abruptly stated her name. "Pamela."

Katie almost frowned, but she didn't want to show weakness. "It's nice to meet you, Pam."

"It's Pamela, actually."

"Right…," mumbled Katie under her breath. This was going to be the longest three weeks of her life.

Carly sensed the tension in the air between everyone. She only hoped it wouldn't last for the rest of the month. "So, um, Katie, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Chase looked at Carly incredulously. "What do you mean where _Katie_ will be staying?"

Carly looked up at her mother for an explanation.

"Katie's going to stay with me in my room," stated Chase.

"Oh no, she's not," argued Pamela.

Chase couldn't believe he was arguing with his step-mother. He hadn't done this in years. "Look, _Pam_, we're both adults here. If Katie wants to stay with me, then she can."

Katie didn't want to be the cause of a huge family argument. She placed her hand on Chase's arm. "Robert, it's okay. I can stay in another room."

Chase looked at Katie. "You don't have to do this."

Carly looked up at her mother. "Robbie's right, Mum. They _are_ adults. Why can't they just share Robbie's room?"

Pamela looked angry. "Carly, why don't you go inside the house and get your cake ready?"

"But—."

Katrina gave Carly a fierce look that Carly was too afraid to fight. So, she did as she was told and went inside to fetch her birthday cake. Chase and Katie followed her. Pamela and Katrina did not, though.

Chase leaned close to Katie and whispered in her ear. "You don't have to do this, you know."

Katie whispered back to him. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

Chase snorted. "In this family, trouble is my middle name."

Katie giggled, and apparently Carly had overheard them both. She turned to face them once they reached the door. "He's right, you know."

Katie looked at the teenager. "Right about what?"

Carly shrugged. "Both things, I suppose. You really don't have to stay in another room… and trouble is definitely his middle name, at least when it comes to my mum and sister."

Katie giggled as she turned her attention towards Chase. She'd never seen him as a troublemaker before. She'd always seen him as a gentle push-over. Maybe she'd been mistaken.

Carly opened the door for her brother and his girlfriend. "I'll show you to Robbie's room."

Katie and Chase smiled. At least if they were going to go against Pamela's wishes, they'd have someone else in the family to back them up.

"Thanks," said Katie.

Carly quickly darted up the stairs and showed Katie the bedroom that Chase used to use. Chase followed behind them, carrying his and Katie's bags.

"This is it," said Carly as she showed Katie the room. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a cake to cut!"

Katie smiled as the girl left the room. Chase stopped her before she could get too far, though. He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "Happy birthday, sis."

Carly smiled and started to walk downstairs. "Thanks."

Once she was gone, Katie took a good look around Chase's room. Like every other bedroom in the house, his was very large. Katie couldn't help but notice, though, that there wasn't much in it. The bed set was very plain, just like the furniture. There were pictures on the wall of him and his mother (his real mother), and a few of him with both of his parents. There was an adjoining bathroom as well. Other than that, though, there wasn't much in the bedroom.

"What's wrong?" asked Chase.

Katie shrugged. "Usually people's bedrooms look like them." She took a look around the room again. "I mean, your room in Princeton looks like you, but this just looks so—."

"Plain?" Chase finished her thought for her.

Katie laughed. "Yeah."

Chase set their bags down on his bed. "I never really made it a point to visit my dad that often. I guess I just hated spending time with Pam and Trina."

"I thought she hated to be called Pam."

Chase smirked. "She does."


	6. Angels We Have Heard on High

**Angels We Have Heard on High**

November 6, 2007 – 3:29pm (Thursday)

Cuddy had informed Foreman and Adler of House's departure to Chicago. They weren't very happy that they were going to have to do this case on their own, but they would get over it. Foreman was put in charge of the department (informally of course) since Adler was still the newbie. They were told that both House and Chase would be on call if they needed a consult. Drs. Grant and Whitner had also volunteered to help out if need be.

After looking at the file very closely, Foreman began the differential diagnosis.

**Premature Birth**

**Blue Skin**

**Bronze Skin**

Adler was still seated at the glass table. "The blue skin could simply be the result of the premature birth. If the baby wasn't receiving enough oxygen due to underdeveloped lungs, then it would make sense."

Foreman shrugged. "Maybe, but his lungs are fine now."

Adler frowned. "What if the bronze skin caused the premature birth?"

"The bronze skin came after the blue skin, which came after the premature birth."

Adler nodded confidently. "Yes, I know that. But if his mother were on drugs during the time of the pregnancy, then it would make sense that he would be born prematurely. Of course, his body would have trouble delivering oxygen, which would result in the blue skin. Now that his body does have oxygen, though, his skin would turn bronze."

Foreman nodded. It would make sense. "Phenothiazine is the only drug that would have caused that though."

Adler opened the file, and frowned once again. "Her father was diagnosed with manic depression after the death of her mother."

"What is he taking?"

"Thorazine."

That contained Phenothiazine. "You run a blood test on the mom and get a history," suggested Foreman. "I'll do an examination on the baby for Phenothiazine poisoning."

Adler agreed, and they both left to complete their tasks.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Adler found Samantha Tobey sitting in the waiting room outside of NICU. She had a bottle of water in her hand, and her father was sitting right next to her. Adler sighed. The girl couldn't have been older than 18, 19 at the most. She walked over and sat down next to the girl.

"Samantha Tobey?"

The girl nodded. "Are you my baby's doctor?"

Adler nodded. "Yes, we'd just like to run a blood test on you."

Samantha hesitated. "But I'm not sick; shouldn't you be running the test on my son?"

"Don't worry, another doctor is going to do that as well, but we're concerned about a possible Phenothiazine poisoning. If your son has it, then you do too."

Samantha's father was paying attention now. "You stole my pills?! I knew some of them were missing! First you get pregnant, and now this! Jesus, Samantha!"

Samantha looked both embarrassed and angry with her father. "Dad, you're making a scene! Please calm down!" She turned back to Adler. "I didn't take any of my dad's medication."

Adler nodded. "We just have to be sure." She stood up and motioned for Samantha to follow her. "Could you please come with me? I promise it'll be fast."

Samantha sighed. "Alright, I'll be right back, Dad."

Adler led Samantha to a small examination room to draw the blood and take a patient history.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman entered the NICU to find Baby Boy Tobey in his incubator, making a fuss as usual. Foreman sat down next to the incubator and watched as the baby squirmed. He couldn't help but notice how pale the baby had become. Foreman noted it in the chart before proceeding to complete the blood test. Baby Boy Tobey didn't seem to like this one bit, and he continued to make a large fuss, but eventually he just gave up. He seemed rather weak and tired. Foreman noted that as well. Once the blood test was done, Foreman weighed him. He'd lost a substantial amount of weight in the last two weeks. He opened the file and discovered that nurses had reported diarrhea with excessive fat in it for the past week, as well as gas. Foreman pitied the nurse who monitored him. Before sending the blood to the lab and reporting his findings to Adler, though, he took Baby Boy Tobey's temperature. The baby didn't like the fact that Foreman had decided to use a rectal thermometer. Foreman pulled the thermometer out of the baby's behind and read it. He had a fever. This just had to be Phenothiazine poisoning.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Samantha took a seat in a chair in the examination room. Adler pulled a stool up to her side and wrapped a tight rubber band around her forearm.

"So you think I might be sick too?" asked Samantha.

Adler shrugged. "It's a possibility." She found a vein and stuck the needle in Samantha's arm.

Samantha flinched as the needle entered her arm. "I took the pills."

Adler looked at Samantha. "What?"

"I took his pills," sighed Samantha.

Adler was confused. "You said you didn't, though."

"I couldn't say it in front of my father," she said. Everybody lies. "Please don't tell him."

"But why—?" Adler couldn't even finish her statement because Samantha knew what was coming.

"I was stressed, okay? I thought my son was going to die. I… I just thought they would help. They help my dad with his depression. I guess I just hoped that they would help me. I guess it was probably stupid, huh?"

Adler frowned as she finished taking blood. "You may have poisoned your son."

Samantha shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no. no! I only took the pills after he was born! I swear."

Adler looked at her incredulously.

Samantha was insulted. "If I wanted to kill my baby, I would have had an abortion. I may be 19, but that doesn't mean I don't care about my son. I took those pills because I was afraid that he was going to die, not the other way around."

Adler shrugged. "We just need to be sure."

They were always saying that. "Can I go back to my father now?"

Adler shook her head. "I have to ask you a few more questions."

Samantha tilted her head to the side in annoyance. "What do you need to know?"

"Have you taken any other drugs besides your father's pills?"

"No, well, not during my pregnancy."

Adler looked up.

Samantha sighed. "I took meth, but it was only once. It was before I got pregnant."

Adler noted it in her chart. "What about alcohol?"

"Eww, I wouldn't put that stuff in my body; do you know what it does to you?!"

Adler shook her head in disbelief. "Have you been out of the country within the last three years?"

"I went on a cruise to the Caribbean with my dad a few months ago," she replied. "My mom was supposed to come, but—." She stopped suddenly and a tear seemed to be forming in her eyes.

"What did your mother die of?"

"Liver cancer."

Well that explained why Samantha wouldn't drink. "Other than the manic depression, how's your father's health?"

Samantha thought for a moment. "Fine, I think."

Adler nodded. "And yours?"

"Good."

"Do you have any family history of heart disease or any other condition?"

Samantha shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

Adler made the note in her chart. "I'll talk with your father."

Samantha almost gasped. "You aren't going to tell him about the drugs are you?"

Adler rolled her eyes. "No, I'm just going to confirm your medical history."

Samantha almost heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Adler let Samantha return to her father in the waiting room and delivered her blood sample to the lab, where she found Foreman.

"It has to be Phenothiazine poisoning," said Foreman. "The kid has all the symptoms."

Adler shrugged. "It's not Phenothiazine poisoning."

"What? How do you know?"

"The mom admitted to taking the pills, but she said she only took them after the baby's birth. She said she used it to help deal with her baby's illness or something."

Foreman snorted. "Clever."

Adler smirked. "I don't get the feeling she's that clever either."

"Better safe than sorry," said Foreman as he and Adler dropped their samples off with the pathologists.

Foreman informed Adler of his observations of Baby Boy Tobey, and together they returned to the Conference Room to consider other possibilities that could explain their patient's symptoms.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy watched as Foreman and Adler returned to the Conference Room. She knew that they were just covering their basics, but something deep down told her that they were missing something. She knew that they were both very qualified doctors and should be able to handle this case, but as she looked at the babies in the NICU through the glass wall, she secretly wished House had never gone on vacation. Hopefully he wouldn't mind if she gave him the occasional call to update him on the case. Hopefully Foreman and Adler wouldn't mind either.


	7. Home for the Holidays

**Home for the Holidays**

December 6, 2007 – 6:28pm (Thursday)

Cameron has been trying to get House to leave early all morning, but you know what a waste of energy that was. They finally left Princeton at 7:00am. House was disappointed that he couldn't ride his bike for the next month, but Cameron assured him that he would in fact live without it. And so, they packed their bags in Cameron's car and hit the road. They only stopped once, and that was for lunch and to switch drivers. House was getting tired of being the passenger. It felt weird, to him at least. So Cameron fed his huge ego and let him drive the rest of the way to her house in Chicago.

Cameron leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes; House didn't like this very much of course.

"Hey!" he said. He poked her in the arm.

Cameron's eyes shot open. "What's wrong?"

"We only have about a half hour left."

"Yes, I know that."

"You aren't leaving me alone," he said. "What am I supposed to do for the next thirty minutes if you're asleep?"

"You're supposed to drive."

House rolled his eyes. "That's only fun for so long."

Cameron chuckled. "Listen to your iPod."

House sighed as he plugged his iPod into the car. Cameron was satisfied and closed her eyes once more. They shot open again, though, when the loud sounds of The Rolling Stones came pouring through the speakers.

"Could you turn it down?"

"You told me to listen to my iPod." House didn't want to bother her; he just wanted her to stay awake.

Cameron knew what he was doing, too. "Fine, you want me to stay awake? I'm awake. You happy?"

"Very."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "So now that you have me awake, what do you want to do for the rest of the drive?"

Before House could answer her though, his cell phone started to ring. Cameron knew he was on call, so she didn't complain.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson was busy in the kitchen as Cuddy played with Riley in the living room. They were expecting both of their parents over for dinner tonight. It was the second day of Chanukah, but they had troubles getting to Princeton on time yesterday. By the time they finally did get into town, though, it was too late to come over for dinner.

Cuddy glanced into the kitchen to see that he was busy with his cooking. She thought it would be harmless to give House one little call. So, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed his cell number. He picked up immediately.

House: What do you want?

Cuddy: I just thought I'd give you an update on your patient.

House: Did he die?

Cuddy (nervous): Why would you think that?

House: If anything else happened, I would assume that Foreman and Adler could handle it without me.

Cuddy (blushing): Adler's new though.

House: Foreman's not.

Cuddy: Fine, you don't want to know your patient's status?

House: I didn't say that.

Cuddy: Then why did you say all those things?!

House: To make you angry. Duh. Now how's Baby Girl Thomas?

Cuddy: It's Baby Boy Tobey.

House: Close enough.

Cuddy: Not really… I think we actually have a Baby Girl Thomas at the hospital.

House: Are you going to tell me his status or not?

Cuddy: He has a fever, low white count, and he's been losing weight… a lot of weight. Foreman and Adler tested him and the mother for Phenothiazine poisoning.

House (bored): Anything else?

Cuddy: Aren't you going to call them?

House: And why would I do that? I'm on vacation, remember?

Cuddy: You're going to let this baby die?

House: He's not dying.

Cuddy: You don't know that.

House: Fine. He's not dying _right now_. Can I go now?

Cuddy (sighing): Keep your cell phone on. I'll talk to you later.

House (smirking): I'm sure you will.

Cuddy: Goodbye, House.

Line Closes

Cuddy stroked the cheek of her son gently as she held him. How could House act so nonchalant about the health of his patient… the health of a baby?

& - & - & - & - & - &

House closed his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. Cameron looked at him curiously.

"What did Cuddy want?"

"Reassurance."

"What?"

"She thinks my patient's dying."

"Is he?"

"How should I know?"

Cameron's eyes widened, but then retained usual shape. "What do you mean she wants reassurance?"

"Cuddy has finally figured out that babies really can get sick." House smirked.

Cameron was confused. "What do you mean?"

House glanced at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "If my patient dies, then Cuddy has to deal with the fact that wittle baby RJ actually can get sick. Bad things actually do happen to good people."

"Oh, that's not true," said Cameron with a roll of the eyes. "She's just trying to cover your a-s so you don't end up killing your patient."

"She called me because he had a fever."

Cameron shrugged. "Maybe it was a high fever."

"She said he had a low white count, fever, and weight loss."

Cameron seemed interested. "He must be immunocompromised."

"Wow, sounds like a symptom of being a baby."

Cameron sighed. "Well, what about the weight loss?"

House rolled his eyes. "Allison, Cuddy needs to learn to trust Foreman and Adler. Otherwise, they're never going to learn. Us sitting here and discussing the case is not helping matters."

"Yeah, and the best way to learn how to swim is to jump into a tank of sharks."

"We all have to say goodbye to our water-wings sometime," he quipped.

Cameron rolled her eyes as House stopped the car. They were finally here after driving literally all day. House took in the house before getting out of the car. It was actually rather large, but not in a bad way. It was secluded from other parts of the neighborhood by a barrier of trees. There was no concrete driveway, but plenty of space to park in the dirt outside the house. There was no true front yard, but House could see a fence that obviously led to the back yard. The house itself was a light shade of yellow with white trim. There were too many windows to count. Once House saw Cameron finally step out of the car, he did so as well.

"You ready?" joked Cameron.

Who was he kidding? He was never ready when it came to things like this.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy scooped Riley up into her arms when she heard the doorbell ringing. Wilson was still busy putting the final touches on dinner, so she thought she should answer the door alone. She was expecting it to be either her parents or Wilson's, but it wasn't.

A panicked Adler stood on the other side of the door. "Dr. Cuddy, there's a problem."

Cuddy frowned. "Why didn't you just call me?"

Adler looked confused. "I did. You didn't answer your phone."

Cuddy reached for her pocket, but she realized her phone was no longer there. She had set it on the coffee table. She walked into the living room, and Adler followed her. Cuddy couldn't find her phone in there either. "Jimmy, what did you do with my phone?" she called out to him.

"You aren't going to call House again!" he replied.

Cuddy was frustrated now. She marched into the kitchen, leaving Adler in the living room, and held her hand out to Wilson. "Give it back."

"You need to let them handle this."

"Jimmy—."

Wilson handed her the cell phone. "You've got a problem, Lisa." He rolled his eyes.

Cuddy rolled her eyes in return. "I have to go to the hospital; I'll be right back."

Wilson almost gasped. "Our parents will be here any minute!"

"Tell them that I'll be right back!"

"What about Riley? I can't watch him while I'm cooking!"

"I'll take him with me," she replied quickly. "Now I've really got to go."

Wilson sighed. "Hurry up."

Cuddy agreed and followed Adler back outside. They drove to the hospital separately, and once they got there, she and Foreman filled her in on the details.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House and Cameron walked up to the door, and it was obvious that Cameron's mother had been waiting very anxiously to meet her daughter's new boyfriend. She didn't hide that fact either, since she opened the door before Cameron got the chance.

"Ally!" Mrs. Cameron opened her arms to pull her daughter into a welcoming hug. It was obvious they hadn't seen each other in a while. "How are you, Sweetheart?"

Cameron smiled. "I'm great, Mom." She turned to House. "Mom, this is Greg."

Mr. Cameron walked up behind his wife, and House looked over their shoulders to see a young man, probably a little older standing at the staircase, just watching the whole encounter.

Mrs. Cameron hugged House immediately. He hadn't been expecting that, so it was a rather awkward hug. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Greg," she said warmly.

Mr. Cameron didn't seem so welcoming, though. He looked at House carefully. He was unshaven, had crinkled clothes, and when was the last time the man shaved?! And then there was the cane at his side. If that wasn't enough, Mr. Cameron noticed the cane was black with flames running up the side. What a peculiar man. He offered his hand timidly, not really sure if he liked Greg or not.

House was about to shake the man's hand, realizing that he didn't like him much already (that's okay, House didn't like him either), but his phone suddenly rang. House closed his eyes and clamped his hand into a fist. "I swear to god, if that's Cuddy…" he mumbled under his breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out.

Cameron watched as her father looked at House with dislike. "I'm sure it's an emergency," she said to him. "He's on call all month."

Mrs. Cameron nodded in understanding, but Mr. Cameron didn't like how House had completely disregarded his handshake.

House stepped away from the conversation and answered his phone, Cameron reassuring her parents all the while.

House: This better be good.

Cuddy: Your patient had a seizure.

House (angry): I'm hanging up now.

Cuddy: House, wait.

House: They can handle it, Cuddy!

Cuddy: He threw up first.

House: Wow, that's fascinating. Can I please go now?

Cuddy: And then he fainted!

House: Are you done yet?

Cuddy: House, he could be dying!

House: And I _could _be on vacation, but somebody keeps interrupting it.

Cuddy: Sorry for trying to save a life.

House: You should be. Foreman and Adler can handle it—

Cuddy: Obviously not. They called me in.

House (satisfied): You're at the hospital, aren't you?

Cuddy: This isn't about me.

House: Wilson mentioned dinner with the parents tonight.

Cuddy: House—

House: Go home, Cuddy. Let them handle it.

Cuddy: House, wait—

Line Closes

House closed his phone and walked back to Cameron's side. "I'm sorry, it was, uh—."

Cameron looked worried. "Is everything alright?"

"It was Cuddy, what do you think?"

Cameron was about to smile, but didn't. "How is he?"

House almost responded, but remembered they were in front of her parents. "Um, I'm sorry about that. It was an emergency."

Cameron shrugged at her parents as if to say, "I told you so."

Mr. and Mrs. Cameron nodded and stepped aside to let House and Cameron inside. Cameron immediately led House to the living room so they could sit down, but House noticed as the young man who had been standing at the staircase disappeared and walked upstairs. House just assumed that he would meet him eventually, though, so he followed Cameron into the living room.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson had just finished placing dinner on the table when the doorbell rang. Cuddy still wasn't home, so Wilson was becoming distressed. That woman had better hurry up and do a differential so she could get home and eat dinner. No way was he going to be stuck with two sets of parents while she wasn't home! He ran to answer the door. On the other side of the door were two people he'd never seen before, but based on the woman's dark hair and the man's crystal grey eyes, he only assumed that they were Cuddy's parents. The timing made sense too.

Wilson smiled at them. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Cuddy."

The man smiled politely at him and nodded, but the woman seemed to be looking over his shoulder for something. Wilson knew exactly what it was she was looking for, too.

Mr. Cuddy offered his hand to Wilson. "You must be James. Lisa has told us so much about you."

Wilson smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you." He stepped aside to let them in and answered Mrs. Cuddy's unasked question. "Lisa had to run to the hospital, but she'll be back soon. Can I get you anything to drink?"

Mr. Cuddy asked for a scotch, but Mrs. Cuddy preferred water.

"I see your parents haven't arrived yet," noted Mrs. Cuddy lightly.

Wilson shrugged as he handed both of them their drinks. "They must be running late."

They both nodded. What an awkward silence. Mr. Cuddy finally broke it.

"So where's my grandson?" he asked cheerily.

Wilson chuckled. "Actually, Lisa took him to the hospital with her."

They both nodded again, and Wilson inhaled deeply. Cuddy had better get back soon, or he was going to have a panic attack. He smiled awkwardly at her parents as they all took a seat in the living room, awaiting Cuddy's return.


	8. Baby Please Come Home

**Baby Please Come Home**

December 6, 2007 – 7:01pm (Thursday)

Cuddy and Adler both made it to the hospital safely, and Cuddy quickly took Riley out of his car seat and followed Adler up to the Conference Room. She had a general idea of what had occurred, but she would need more details if she was going to help them with a differential.

Cuddy set Riley's car seat down on the glass table, and he began to doze off. Normally he was in his pajamas and relaxing at home by now.

"What do we have?" asked Cuddy quickly. She did promise Wilson she'd hurry, after all.

As Foreman updated the white board, Adler filled Cuddy in on the details.

"The blood tests showed that he was negative for Phenothiazine poisoning," she said. "He did however come back with a low white count."

Cuddy shrugged. "Well he is a baby."

Adler shrugged, and Foreman turned around to reveal the white board.

**Premature Birth**

**Blue Skin**

**Bronze Skin**

**Fatigue**

**Weight Loss**

**Diarrhea**

**Fever**

**Low White Count**

**Glossitis**

**Cramping**

**Vomiting**

**Seizure**

**Fainting**

Cuddy put her hand up to her temple. What had they gotten themselves into? "What happened? He goes from having bronze skin to all of this?!"

Adler and Foreman looked at each other.

"Well," said Adler. "When the blood tests showed that he was negative for Phenothiazine poisoning, our next best guess was an infection. We started him on broad-spectrum antibiotics, but that's when things got worse."

"Allergy?" asked Cuddy quickly.

Adler shrugged. "It's possible, but I highly doubt it."

Cuddy suddenly wished there was an immunologist on the team. She reached for her cell phone, but suddenly stopped herself. No, she wasn't going to call House or Cameron unless she absolutely needed them. "Then what happened?"

"We moved him into an isolation room, incubator and all," said Foreman. "We didn't want to risk him catching anything else. His white count is low enough as it is."

Cuddy nodded. "And then what?"

"We came back to do another differential," said Adler. "I thought it was hemochromatosis, but Foreman said that he would have a boatload of iron in his blood. This kid's anemic."

Cuddy rolled her wrist, gesturing for Adler to keep going.

"Then Foreman suggested that it might be a primary adrenal insufficiency. We considered Addison's Disease and an adrenal gland tumor."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. When would Foreman learn that it was never an adrenal gland tumor? "Okay…."

Adler continued. "I went to draw blood for the tests. He wouldn't sit still or stop crying. That's when I looked in his mouth and noticed that his tongue was bright red."

"Glossitis," muttered Cuddy. "And then what happened?"

"Well, I finished the blood test, and he was still squirming, so I tried to comfort him. That's when he threw up on me. I reached for a paper towel to wipe it off, and when I turned back around, he was seizing. I called for a nurse, but by the time they got to his room and were sterilized, he had already fainted."

Cuddy nodded. "What about the blood test? What did it show?"

Foreman answered for her, since he had been the one to deliver the test (Adler needed to find a clean lab coat after a baby threw up on her). "Aldosterone, plasma cortisol, and plasma catecholamines were all within range. It's not a primary adrenal insufficiency."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. Well she could have predicted that. "What's his status?"

"He's sleeping now. His white count is still low and he still has a fever," replied Adler.

"The fatigue, diarrhea, and glossitis haven't gone away yet either," added Foreman.

"Alright," said Cuddy. "Differential diagnosis for a dying baby. Go…."

Neither Foreman nor Adler responded. Cuddy looked up at them.

"Go means start."

They looked at each other reluctantly before returning their attention to Cuddy.

"Dr. Cuddy," said Adler. "If we could have done our own differential, we wouldn't have brought you in."

And that's when Cuddy realized that Foreman and Adler really couldn't handle this case without House. But she promised him and Wilson that she wouldn't call unless it was absolutely necessary. They were running out of options, though. They had to call somebody.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase and Katie had wished Carly a happy birthday, and they all sat down to a nice dinner the night before (with birthday cake for desert). Carly's favorite part was the gifts, though. Her mother had bought her a new cell phone, and Trina had bought her a brand new iPod. Her favorite gift was from her brother and his girlfriend, though.

During their little vacation in Sydney, Chase had asked Katie to move in with him. Katie was ecstatic, to say the least. There really were no words for how happy she was. When Chase heard that Katie was going to sell her apartment, though, his attention piqued. Katie owned her apartment? He had offered to buy it from her, but she told him that there was no need to do that.

Carly had always wanted to go to college in the states, and now that she was 18, it was all she thought about. She missed seeing her brother as often as she used to, and this would definitely bring her closer to him (a lot closer than they'd been for the last 10 years, that was for sure). She'd already been accepted to Princeton, but Pam wasn't about to pay for her living and moving expenses. Not to mention the expenses of going to a college like Princeton.

When Katie and Chase announced that they were moving in together, Carly was very happy for her brother. Of course, she was speechless when Katie offered her apartment to the teenager. Pam definitely didn't like the idea, but what was she going to do? Carly was 18 now, after all, and if she had an apartment to live in and a place at Princeton, she was going to take them.

Of course, Pam didn't just accept that her daughter was moving out of the country like that. No, she dragged the issue on. She simply would not let her daughter leave Australia. And that was all they talked about at breakfast the next morning.

"I don't see why it's such a problem!" exclaimed Carly. "I'll have an apartment to live in!"

"That's not the point!" shouted Pam. "You've never even been to Princeton, and now you just want to move there blindly?!"

"Well maybe I'd know it better if you'd let me visit Robbie once in a while!"

Chase and Katie looked at each other reluctantly. They hadn't meant to cause such a problem, though Chase was secretly enjoying it.

"Carly, Princeton is a very hard school. If you add that with the stress of adjusting to a new country and having to find a job to pay for school and making new friends… Carly, you won't make it."

Carly was hurt. "I'll have Robbie and Katie. They can help me find a job."

Chase was shocked at this. He wasn't really sure if he could do that, but he agreed with his sister nonetheless. He would do anything to let her come home with him. "Yeah, I'm sure we could find something."

Katie was shocked too, but mimicked whatever Chase did.

"Besides," added Carly. "I'm smart, unlike _Trina_; I'll do great at Princeton!"

Trina glared at her younger sister. "I told you to stop calling me Trina, you little—."

Trina's outburst was cut off by the sound of Chase's cell phone ringing. Chase pulled his cell phone out and quickly answered it, noting the caller ID. He stepped out of the room to take the call.

Chase: Is everything okay?

Cuddy: We need a consult.

Chase (shocked): Why don't you just call House?

Cuddy: He told me not to call him.

Chase (laughing): And you listened to him?

Cuddy: Okay, Wilson told me not to call him, too.

Chase: Ah, that'll do it. What's up?

Cuddy updated Chase on the case, and he spent a moment pondering any and all possibilities.

Chase: Have you tested him for Wilson's disease?

Cuddy (sighing): Damn it. Thank you, Chase.

Chase: Yeah, anytime.

Line Closes

Chase closed his cell phone and returned to his breakfast, where everybody was still arguing.

"You don't even know what you want to be yet, Carly," claimed Pam.

Carly glanced up at Chase, then back at Pam. "Yes I do. I want to be a doctor."

Pam frowned. She had always wanted Carly to follow in her father's footsteps, but she got the feeling that Carly only wanted to go to medical school because of her brother.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy closed her phone and looked at Foreman and Adler in relief. Chase had come up with an idea, and that meant that they could run their tests while she went home. Wilson was probably wondering where she and Riley were at by now.

"Test him for Wilson's disease," she said.

Adler and Foreman looked at each other. How had they missed that?

"I'm going home," said Cuddy. "Call me if you need anything."

They both nodded as they left to test their patient. Cuddy picked Riley's car seat up and left the Conference Room. Hopefully Wilson wasn't too mad. And hopefully dinner wasn't cold. She was starving.

& - & - & - & - & - &

It had been a nearly an hour since Cuddy had left for the hospital. Dinner was getting cold. Okay, dinner _was_ cold. Wilson was just going to wait until Cuddy got home to microwave it, though. Hopefully it would still taste good.

Cuddy finally made it home to find that both her parents and Wilson's were already there. They were all seated in the living room, and Wilson was refilling drinks in the kitchen. She sighed as she walked through the door.

"I'm so sorry that took so long," she sighed.

Wilson handed her a glass of water and took Riley from her arms. He gave her a peck on the cheek that made her feel more relaxed. He didn't seem _that_ angry. "Is he alright now?"

"They're testing him for Wilson's disease."

Wilson nodded. "Well, hopefully he'll be stable until morning."

Cuddy nodded, but frowned when she smelled Wilson's roast beef in the kitchen. "Is dinner cold?"

Wilson frowned in return. "Well, you were gone for an hour."

"Jimmy, I'm so sorry."

Wilson shook his head. "Hey, it's okay. What are microwaves for, right?"

Cuddy smiled. He was so supportive at times like this. She walked over to introduce herself to Wilson's parents and greet her own while Wilson put Riley to bed. His grandparents would have to wait until tomorrow to meet him.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cameron showed House her old bedroom, where they would be staying. Mr. Cameron didn't really approve of it, but Mrs. Cameron told him that they were adults, and it was their choice. Cameron hadn't mentioned anything to her parents about her living situation yet, but Mrs. Cameron had a feeling that she was living with House. Mr. Cameron was completely oblivious, and he liked it that way.

House looked around the room. It was pink… too pink. "Jesus, Allison, it's like the Cabbage Patch kids let loose in here. What the hell happened to your room?"

Cameron chuckled. "Pink was my favorite color when I was younger. Every girl likes pink when they're little."

"Not this much pink."

"And how would you know?"

House ignored her question and instead moved onto the shelf. "And what do we have here? Little Allison liked to play with dolls. Isn't that just adorable?" House picked a girl doll and a boy doll off of Cameron's shelf and started playing with them. He raised and lowered his voice as he taunted Cameron with the dolls.

Boy: Why, Allison, what a lovely pink dress you have there.

Girl: Why thank you, Greg. Even though those tight black shorts are something you would never actually wear, I have to admit that you look quite ravishing in them.

Boy: Aw, thank you so much, Allison. They are a little too tight though. Would you mind helping me take them off?

Girl: Oh, not at all.

Cameron had been giggling all the while, and just as House was moving the two dolls closer together, there was a voice coming from the doorway.

"Boy Doll had better keep his tight black shorts on while he's in this house."

House was embarrassed. He didn't know that anyone had been listening to him. Thank god it wasn't either of Cameron's parents, though. No, it was the man that House had seen standing at the stairway when he first arrived. He had brown hair, similar to Cameron's, but it had many more blond streaks in it. His eyes were just as green as Cameron's, though.

Cameron quickly hopped off her bed and gave the man a hug while House placed the dolls back on their shelf. "Oh, Danny, it's been way too long," Cameron sighed. "How have you been?"

The man hugged her back. Danny… That was her brother, right? House struggled to remember the names that Cameron had rattled off to him, and taking another look at him, her brother would be the only thing that really made sense.

"I've been great," he said as he pulled back from the hug. "What about you?"

"Never better," said Cameron with a grin. She turned to House. "Greg, this is my brother, Danny. Danny, this is Greg."

Danny seemed reluctant at first, but he eventually entered the room and offered his hand to House. "It's nice to meet you, Greg."

House wearily took his hand, and right as he did, Danny pulled him into a hug. Don't take it the wrong way. Danny wasn't welcoming when it came to House; he just wanted to whisper something in his ear so Cameron couldn't hear. "You hurt my sister, and you'll have me to deal with, got it?"

House looked at the man in shock. He seemed so nice at first, but not so much anymore. House quickly pulled back from the 'hug' and looked at Danny, then at Cameron. Danny was trying to maintain eye contact to make sure that House knew he was serious.

Danny finally pulled back and gave Cameron a smile. "Dinner's ready," he said.

Cameron smiled back. "Great, I'm starving," she replied. "Are Angi and Grace here yet?"

Danny looked confused. "She didn't call you?"

Now Cameron was confused. "No, what are you talking about?"

"She took Grace up to Joe's place in New York."

Cameron's jaw dropped slightly. "She took Grace to Joe's place?"

House watched the encounter with curiosity. He couldn't help but ask it….

"Who's Joe?"


	9. Fairytale of New York

**Fairytale of New York**

December 6, 2007 – 7:19pm (Thursday)

It took much convincing from Grace, but Angela finally agreed to take her to meet her real father. It wasn't that Angela didn't like the man; she just had a history with him that she didn't want to remember. Joe was the one man that Angela actually saw a future with, but it simply didn't work out. Grace always wondered why her real parents weren't still together, but maybe she'd understand once she met her father.

Grace sighed playfully. "Are we almost there?"

Angela laughed. "Actually, we are."

Grace smiled. "Good."

Angela looked at her daughter curiously. "Grace, why do you want to know who your real father is so much? Daddy raised you since you were a little baby."

Grace seemed uncomfortable with the question. "Charlie isn't my dad."

Angela frowned. Over the past few months, Grace had stopped calling Charlie her father. She would have thought that this was because Grace realized that they weren't biologically connected, but then Angela remembered that Grace had been aware of that fact for many years, much to her surprise. So why didn't she think of Charlie as her father anymore? "Just because you aren't related to him doesn't mean he can't still be your father, Gracie."

Grace stared out the window. "I know that."

"Then why don't you call him Dad anymore?"

Grace started fiddling with her fingers. "He cheated on you, Mom."

Angela's jaw dropped slightly, but she closed it quickly. "How did you—?"

"I've known for a while, Mom," sighed Grace. "He kind of flashed it in my face when he brought Ally to visit me in the hospital. Why else would you two get a divorce? You guys seemed happy before she came along."

Angela frowned. It shocked her how much Grace picked up on small details like this. "Yeah, he cheated on me. He didn't cheat on you, though."

Grace looked confused, so Angela continued her thought.

"He may have been unfaithful to me, Gracie, but you were the light of his life since the day you were born," she said. "He knew you weren't really his daughter, and yet he still loved you with all his heart. Doesn't that say something to you?"

Grace thought about it for a moment. She never answered her mother, though, because the car suddenly stopped in a parking garage. They were here. "Does he live in an apartment?"

"It's actually called a penthouse," said Angela as the grabbed their bags.

Grace wondered why it was called a penthouse. Did it have any relationship to the magazines she used to find in Charlie's desk drawers? "He probably doesn't want to see me," sighed Grace.

"Don't say that," said Angela quickly.

"He obviously didn't want me when I was born."

"That's not true, Grace," said Angela quickly and firmly.

"Then why did he leave you?"

Angela frowned, and she didn't justify Grace's question with an answer. Instead, they took the elevator up to the top floor of the complex. They walked down the hall in silence.

Grace and Angela looked at each other before knocking on the door of Joe's penthouse.

Joe answered the door quickly. He'd obviously been expecting them right around this time. Angela examined him carefully, drowning in all the memories that flooded her mind. He still had the same reddish-brown hair that he had when they were together, and he still had a crew cut. His eyes were hazel, but they seemed to sparkle more than she remembered. He hadn't lost or gained much weight at all. Angela smiled at him as he took their bags. He looked the same as he'd always been.

Grace was examining the man, too. He had the same hair color as her, but it was definitely cut different than her long, wavy locks. He had hazel eyes, just like her. Grace admitted that they looked a lot alike, but that didn't make him her father, at least not yet.

Angela followed Joe into the large penthouse, and Grace followed closely behind her. Once Joe had set their bags down in the living room, he turned around and gave Angela a much welcomed hug.

"Oh, Angi, I've missed you so much."

Angela closed her eyes and took in his scent. She hugged him back tightly. God, she missed the feeling of his lean, muscular arms. "I've missed you too, Joe."

He pulled back and looked at her closely. She had the same dark brown hair and grey eyes that she always had. "You look great," he said with a smile.

Angela blushed. "You too."

Grace was becoming rather uncomfortable with the situation. She began to look all around the penthouse in the hopes that something might distract her from this awkward position. She saw a large, modern kitchen, and there was a fish tank in the living room. His couches were black leather, and he had a big screen TV. Grace marveled at the many things she saw in his apartment. She was only 12 years old, but she knew what a place like this must cost. She started wondering what the guy did for a living.

Angela looked around the penthouse as well. "You've obviously been doing well for yourself," said Angela. "What have you been up to?"

Joe shrugged. "I'm the, uh, VP of Marketing at GCMSC."

Angela was both shocked and confused. "GCMSC?"

"Global Capital Markets Software Company."

Angela nodded slowly. "That's a long name."

Joe chuckled. "Don't worry; you don't need to remember it. I'd forget it, too, if I didn't see it on my business card every day."

Angela chuckled lightly, but Grace interrupted the conversation.

"You have a business card?"

Angela was so wrapped up with Joe that she'd completely forgotten to introduce Grace. How could she have done that? "Joe, um, I'm so sorry. This… This is Grace."

Grace walked forward. "Hello."

Joe could tell that the young girl was pleasant, but also very shy. "Hi, Grace," he said warmly and directly to her.

"You have a business card?" she repeated.

Joe chuckled and led Angela and Grace to the kitchen. He picked up a book and pulled a business card from inside that he'd obviously been using as a bookmark. He handed the card to Grace, and she took it.

In her mind, only really important people had business cards (even though she'd seen them at small shops as well). "Charlie has business cards," she said as she read all the info on the card. "Greg has a one too, but I don't think it's really his number on the card."

Angela laughed.

Joe looked at them both. "Who's Greg?"

"Ally's new boyfriend."

Joe smiled. "Oh yeah? How is Ally doing?" Joe's relationship with Allison Cameron was a story for another time, and he really didn't feel like thinking about it, at least not today.

Angela smiled. "She's doing great actually. She's still in New Jersey, and she has a great job. She used to work for Greg, but she was transferred. She's the Assistant Head of Immunology at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital now."

Joe smiled. "It sounds like she's doing great."

Angela nodded. "Aren't you going to ask what I've been doing?" she joked.

Joe smirked as he held up the book that he'd taken the business card from. "I already know what you've been up to."

Angela blushed. "You read my book?"

"Of course I did," he said like it was absurd for him not to. "I also noticed the name on the cover… Angela _Atkins_?"

Angela twiddled her thumbs.

"Why didn't you use Carter?"

"I guess your last name always sounded better on me than Charlie's."

Joe chuckled. "Fine, but I'd better be getting a percentage of your profits."

Angela giggled and playfully pushed him aside as she went to grab her suitcase.

"Hey!" said Joe. "It _is_ my name on the cover, you know!"

Grace was laughing at this point, too. She had always wondered why her mother used Atkins on her book instead of Carter.

"Whatever," said Angela. "Where are we staying?"

Joe took Angela's and Grace's suitcase from their hands, led them down the hall, and showed them two separate bedrooms.

"Jeez, Joe," said Angela as she looked around the hall. "You have three bedrooms in this place?"

Joe shrugged. "I guess it would be more useful if I had more visitors, eh?"

Angela smiled and gave Joe a peck on the cheek before taking her suitcase into her room. "We should have called sooner."

Joe watched as Angela and Grace took their bags into their rooms and began to unpack. Yeah, they _should_ have called sooner.

& - & - & - & - & - &

It was dark outside, and the snow had finally started to fall. That was the one thing that Grace always loved about New York. It was always cold, and she couldn't remember a Christmas without snow. She and her mother were seated on the roof of Joe's penthouse, letting the snow fall down on them. Apparently, Joe used the roof a lot too because it was well furnished with outdoor furniture. Angela and Grace sat on one of the benches that Joe had placed on the roof as they marveled at the sight of the New York City lights all around them. It simply was spectacular.

"So," began Angela. "What do you think?"

"It's gorgeous," said Grace as her smile grew wider and wider.

Angela smiled. "It really is, but I was talking about Joe."

Grace stood up and walked to the side of edge of the roof so she could look down, over the wall. "Yeah, I know that."

"Well, what do you think of him?"

Grace smiled. "I like him. I like it here."

Angela smiled back at her. "Yeah, me too."

Grace turned around and looked at her mother carefully, still sitting on the bench. "Why did he leave you, Mom?"

"He didn't leave me, Gracie."

"You left him?" That came as a shock to Grace.

"No," sighed Angela. "Gracie, it's complicated. I guess in the end, we both just decided that it wasn't working out. I guess you could say that we both left each other."

"Why did you want to leave him?" she asked.

"I knew he wasn't ready," answered Angela matter-of-factly. "I didn't want to put him through anything he wasn't ready for. I wanted to end on good terms with him, not divorce him years later because we weren't ready for a family."

"Is that why he wanted to leave?" asked Grace. "He wasn't ready to have a baby?"

Angela nodded.

Grace turned around and admired the beautiful sights of New York City again. "How do you know it wouldn't have worked out between you guys?"

"I don't."


	10. Children, Go Where I Send Thee

**Children, Go Where I Send Thee**

December 7, 2007 – 8:16am (Friday)

Foreman and Adler had reached the turning point in their case. Adler had run a blood test to check for Wilson's disease, and while doing so, she noticed jaundice and edema. She thought Wilson's was still a possibility, though, so Foreman ran a CT while she processed the blood test. While running the CT scan, Foreman noticed that the baby's shrill crying had finally started to quiet down, but only because he was losing his voice. And what's worse, he was starting to have palpitations. This was getting out of control. Neither Foreman nor Adler cared what Wilson or Cuddy said anymore. They were out of ideas, and so were Chase, Ray, and Whitner. They were out of options. It was time to call House.

House: Here we go again.

Foreman (puts on speakerphone): House, he's dying.

Adler: He's got multi-system failure.

House: Which systems?

Foreman: Are you serious?

House: No, I'm just asking to waste time.

Adler (sighs): So far? His liver is failing, his heart isn't beating regularly, he's having seizures, and he's still on a respirator. He still has a fever, and we can't get his white count up.

House: Wow, you guys really screwed up.

Adler: You know what's wrong with him, don't you?

House (hesitant): He's got Tropical Sprue.

Foreman (confused): Tropical Sprue would explain the bronze skin, the anemia, the diarrhea, and the weight loss, but not the other symptoms.

House (sighing): Tropical Sprue is a malabsorption disorder. Baby is born with the inability to absorb nutrients into his body. It causes malnutrition, folic acid deficiency, and macrocytic anemia. The malnutrition covers the fatigue, weight loss, and low white count. The folic acid deficiency covers the palpitations, glossitis, fainting, jaundice, and it even explains why he won't shut up. The macrocytic anemia explains the edema, vomiting, abdominal pain and cramping, loss of voice, and the seizures. Did I get them all?

Adler: That still doesn't explain the fever.

House: Tropical Sprue is usually the result of an infection.

Foreman: We gave him antibiotics.

House: Give him whatever you want; his immune system still won't be able to fight off the bug.

Adler (confused): But Tropical Sprue is usually found in _tropical _countries, hence the name. What kind of infection could have done this to him?

Foreman (reading notes): Mom went to the Caribbean while she was pregnant.

Adler: But what about the premature birth and blue skin?

Foreman: The premature birth probably caused the blue skin _and_ the malabsorption disorder.

Adler (sighing): So what do we do?

House: Keep him on the antibiotics. Start him on 100 mcg IM/SC Cyanocobalamin and 5 mg/kg Iron Sulfate.

Adler: We'll let you know how he does.

Foreman: Talk to you later.

House (rolling eyes): Yeah, I'm sure.

Line Closes

Foreman and Adler hung up the phone on House's desk and went to start Baby Boy Tobey on the treatment. Hopefully they hadn't caught it too late. If he'd already developed macrocytic anemia, folic acid deficiency, and malnutrition, then his chances were pretty slim.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House hung up his cell phone and placed it back in his pocket. Regardless of what Cuddy and Wilson told him, he did answer his phone if he thought it was important (probably why he always ignored Cuddy and Wilson's calls). Cameron walked into her bedroom to find House returning his cell phone to his pocket.

"How's your patient?"

"Dying."

Cameron frowned. "I'm sorry. Did they figure it out?"

"No," sighed House. "I did."

Cameron fidgeted uneasily. "You should cut them some slack, you know. Adler's new, and Foreman's trying to manage the department himself."

"They should still be able to diagnose a simple malabsorption disorder."

Cameron sighed as she took a seat next to House on her bed. "He had a malabsorption disorder?"

House nodded.

"How far advanced?"

"He's in multi-system failure. He's already showing symptoms of folic acid deficiency, macrocytic anemia, and malnutrition."

Cameron frowned. "Did they start him on the treatment?"

House nodded again.

"He's not going to make it, is he?"

House shook his head, and Cameron's frown deepened. A tear came to her eyes, and House didn't miss it.

"Are you okay?"

Cameron wiped the tear from her eye and nodded. "I just came up to tell you that my aunt and uncle are here."

House rolled his eyes. "The ones with the twins? What were their names Marsha and Lionel?" House remembered their names, but he sensed that Cameron needed a little cheering up.

"Matt and Lily." She smirked at him.

House stood up from the bed and walked downstairs, Cameron right behind him, to the smell of bacon and eggs. She still seemed a bit depressed, but hopefully he could find a way to cheer her up (and find out why she was depressed).

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase had received a call from Foreman and Adler informing him of their patient's diagnosis. Needless to say, Chase wasn't exactly happy with the news. He needed to find a distraction from all the complications in his life, and he couldn't think of anything better than swimming. Sure, it was past 10:00 at night, but the night couldn't be clearer. The air outside was warm and the pool water was cool. So, he put on his swimming trunks and invited Katie to join him in the pool. It wasn't long before Carly had joined them as well.

"What's wrong, Robbie?" Carly immediately sensed something was wrong with her brother when she walked into the backyard.

Chase frowned. "I just got some bad news on our patient. It's okay though, why don't you come and swim with us?"

Carly smiled as she jumped in the pool with Chase and Katie.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Katie as she pushed a piece of Chase's hair aside.

Chase nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He sensed that Carly wasn't exactly in the best of moods either. "What's up with you?"

Carly frowned. "I just talked to Mom. She's not going to let me go to Princeton."

Chase rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous."

"Tell me about it," she sighed.

"You know," said Chase. "Before I became a doctor, I wanted to be a priest. I was in the seminary and everything."

"You were?" Carly had been so young, and she didn't seem to remember this.

Chase nodded. "Dad didn't like it at all. He always wanted me to be a doctor."

"You should have stayed in the seminary," said Carly confidently.

"And you should come to Princeton," retorted Chase.

Carly stared into the depths of the swimming pool, deep in thought. She had been thinking all day long about how she could possibly move to Princeton and go to school, but no ideas coming to her mind. She only hoped that she would figure out a plan before it was too late.

& - & - & - & - & - &

The roast beef that Wilson had cooked wasn't as delicious as he had planned it to be (hey, they were leftovers by the time Cuddy got home). So, to make up for dinner, he decided to make everybody a special breakfast: his famous Macadamia Nut Pancakes.

Everyone was seated at the table, including Riley in his high chair, as they awaited their breakfast. Cuddy had poured everyone a glass of orange juice, and the pancakes were almost ready.

Mrs. Cuddy smiled politely. "Those pancakes smell delicious, James."

Cuddy grinned. "If you think they _smell _delicious, wait until you taste them!"

Mrs. Wilson smiled. "I'm glad to know my son still enjoys cooking," she said. "You know, I was the one that first taught him that recipe."

Cuddy chuckled. "I have a feeling his are a little bit different than yours though."

Mrs. Wilson was confused. "What do you mean, dear?"

Cuddy glanced up at Wilson as he added his secret ingredient, Jimmy Snacks. Nobody noticed but her. "He has a secret ingredient, but I'm not allowed to tell you what it is."

Mrs. Wilson laughed and looked up at her son. "Oh, is that right, James?"

"I have no idea what she's talking about," claimed Wilson, though everybody knew he was lying.

Finally, the pancakes were done, and Wilson placed them on the table. Everybody quickly grabbed some of the silver-dollar slices of heaven.

Cuddy tried to feed Riley his bottle of breast milk with one hand while she ate with the other, but it didn't seem to be working out. So, Wilson took over the job of feeding their son. "Thank you," mouthed Cuddy with a gleam in her eyes.

Wilson didn't respond to her, but everyone at the table noticed the twinkle in his eyes as he grabbed the bottle from Cuddy's hands.


	11. We Need a Little Christmas

**We Need a Little Christmas**

December 7, 2007 – 6:03am (Friday)

The holiday season is supposed to be one of joy and merriment, but not everybody has a happy holiday.

Foreman and Adler had started Baby Boy Tobey on the treatment in hopes that he would soon get better, but they didn't have such luck. After starting treatment, they decided to run a D-xylose absorption test to make sure that their patient really did have Tropical Sprue. He did in fact have the condition that House had predicted, but while running the test, Baby Boy Tobey went into tachycardia. Adler quickly tried to regulate his heartbeat via defibrillators, but it was useless. It was too late. A clot had formed in his leg and eventually reached his lung. He died of a pulmonary embolism, and there was nothing they could do for him.

Foreman and Adler went to deliver the news to Samantha and her father. They found them in their usual spot in the waiting room. Upon seeing them again, Samantha stood up eagerly.

"We have some bad news," sighed Adler.

Samantha frowned. "Is Garret okay?"

Foreman and Adler looked at each other.

"Garret?" asked Foreman.

Samantha nodded. "Garret. That's his name… Garret."

The instant that Foreman delivered the bad news, Samantha fell to her knees on the floor in tears. Foreman and Adler looked at each other, not really sure what to do. So, they simply walked away.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Danny watched his sister carefully as the whole family sat down in the living room to watch _The Charlie Brown Christmas Special_. It was a Cameron family tradition, but his little sister didn't seem to be enjoying it quite as much this year. He positioned himself on the sofa such that House was sandwiched between Cameron and Danny.

As the movie began, Danny leaned close to House's ear and whispered. "What did you do?"

House leaned back and whispered. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"She's on the verge of tears."

"I didn't do anything."

"She's crying during _Charlie Brown_."

Now House spoke a little too loud. "I didn't do anything!"

Cameron, Danny, and everybody else in the room looked at House in shock.

Danny looked at his little sister. "Are you okay, Ally?"

"He didn't do anything, Danny."

Cameron wiped a tear from her eye as House's cell phone started to ring. Both House and Cameron rolled their eyes. This was getting ridiculous.

House: Make it quick.

Adler: He didn't make it.

House: I suspected as such.

Foreman: You don't sound too upset.

House: Look, I'm kind of in the middle of something here. If you're done, can I go please?

Adler (rudely): Gee, sorry to interrupt to tell you that your patient _died_.

House: You should be.

Line Closes

Cameron looked at House, amazed at the anger in his voice and the quick conversation. "Who was it?"

House sighed. "Who do you think?"

Another tear slid down Cameron's cheek. "How's your patient?"

"He didn't make it." This situation was getting far too uncomfortable for House, so he simply got up and left the room without a word. Cameron was about to follow him, but she sensed he needed some alone time. Instead, she got up and went to stand on the deck in her backyard. It wasn't long before her mother met her outside.

"You're missing the movie," she said lightly. She wasn't being pushy, but just trying to break the ice.

Cameron sighed. "I hate this, Mom."

Mrs. Cameron pulled her daughter onto the snow-covered bench. Neither cared that their pants were getting wet. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Is it Greg?"

Cameron shook her head in the negative. "I love him, Mom."

Mrs. Cameron smiled. "I know you do, sweetie."

Cameron looked at her mother in shock, but then again, she should have realized that nothing got by her. She leaned forwards and rested her temples in the tips of her fingers.

"Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you, Ally?"

Cameron took a deep breath. "I wish Angi were here."

Mrs. Cameron smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"I'm going to call her."

"Oh, don't do that."

Cameron looked up at her mother. "Why not?"

"She's with Joe."

"I know that, Mom."

"You miss Joe, don't you?"

Cameron closed her eyes and shook her head again. "This isn't about Joe, Mom."

Her mother didn't want to press her any further. Instead, she comforted her by rubbing her back lightly. "Maybe you _should_ call Angi, but only if you _really_ need her."

Cameron pulled her phone out of her pocket, but hesitated.

Mrs. Cameron decided to change the subject. "Are things _really_ going good with Greg?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, they are."

"Is it getting serious?"

Cameron laughed. "Nothing's serious with Greg."

Mrs. Cameron didn't know if her daughter was just joking or not. "Have you two thought about marriage? Kids?"

Cameron choked on the lump in her throat. "Why don't you go back inside and watch the movie, Mom?"

Mrs. Cameron wasn't sure what she'd done or said, but she had a feeling. "I'll be inside if you need me."

Cameron nodded, but said nothing else. Several minutes after her mother had returned to the living room, Cameron opened her cell phone and dialed her sister's phone number.

Angela (cheery): Hello?

Cameron (verge of tears): Angi… Hey, it's Allison.

Angela: Ally! How are you?! You don't sound so good….

Cameron: I'm not.

Angela (lower voice): Are you okay, Ally?

Cameron: Can you come home?

Angela: Ally, tell me what's wrong. Is it Greg?

Cameron: No… Angi, I just really need you right now.

Angela (unsure): Yeah, of course, Ally. Um, I'll be there tomorrow night, okay?

Cameron (light chuckle): Make sure Grace comes. I think Greg kind of misses her.

Angela (laughs): We'll leave tomorrow morning. And, Ally? 

Cameron: Yeah?

Angela: Whatever it is that's bothering you… you should talk to someone. Talk to Greg.

Cameron: Yeah, I will.

Angela: Good. Um, I guess we'll see you tomorrow night then.

Cameron: Yeah. I'll see you then. Bye.

Angela: Bye, sis.

Line Closes

Cameron stared at her cell phone and the snow on the ground for too many minutes to count before finally deciding to go inside for the night. Angi was right. She needed to talk to House about this.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House was glad that Cameron hadn't followed him. He really needed some time to be alone. Well, he wasn't going to be alone exactly. He needed to call Wilson. He needed to talk to someone.

Wilson: House? What's up?

House: Um, nothing.

Wilson: Then why did you call me?

House (upset): I just… needed to talk.

Wilson (suspicious): What's going on?

House: Allison's bawling like a baby and I have no idea why.

Wilson (confused): What did you do this time?

House: Why does everyone always assume it was my fault?!

Wilson: Sorry, sorry. When did she start crying?

House: When I told her that my patient was going to die.

Wilson: Your patient is going to die?

House: Well, he's dead now.

Wilson: Oh… Um, I'm sorry, House.

House: We were talking about Allison, remember?

Wilson: Sorry, go on.

House: So I told her he was going to die, and she started freaking out.

Wilson: That _is _weird.

House: Tell me about it.

Wilson: She just went from happy to sad like that?

House: No… I guess she was kind of freaked all day, but she never actually cried until then.

Wilson (shocked): What else happened?

House: She found out that her sister wasn't coming.

Wilson: She's not coming? Why not?

House: I guess she and Grace went to see some guy… Joe I think it was.

Wilson (alarmed): Joe?

House (confused): Yeah… you know him?

Wilson: Not dead-husband's-best-friend-who-she-used-to-love Joe…?

House: What are you talking about?

Wilson (caught): Oh, um, I guess she didn't tell you about Joe then.

House (verge of anger): No, she didn't. Who is he?

Wilson: House, maybe you should be talking to her about this.

As if on cue, Cameron walked through the doorway of her bedroom to find House on the phone. She frowned and started turning to leave, but House stopped her.

"Wait, Allison," he said.

Cameron turned around.

Wilson: House? House… Are you there?

Cameron walked back into her bedroom and took a seat next to House on her bed.

Wilson: House…? Okay, I'm hanging up now! HOUSE?!

Line Closes

House closed his cell phone without even responding to Wilson. He shoved it in his pocket and looked into Cameron's eyes. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Another tear slid down Cameron's face. She stood up from the bed and started walking to the door. House thought she was leaving, but when she stopped at her desk, he relaxed a bit. Cameron reached into her purse and pulled a picture out of her wallet. She brought it back to House.

House took the picture from her, both confused and curious at what he might see. It was a picture of her holding a very small child. There was a man lying in a hospital bed next to her, and House only assumed it was her husband. Even though they were in the hospital, everybody in the picture seemed happy. He looked up at Cameron for an explanation.

"His name was Stephen."

House looked at the picture, trying to figure out which one looked more like a Stephen.

"My son's name was David."

House studied the picture even harder. Cameron had a son? Well, Cameron _had_ a son. "What happened?"

More tears slid down Cameron's face as she sat down next to House on her bed. "Stephen died of thyroid cancer. It metastasized to his brain."

"I'm sorry." House's voice was low, quiet, and genuine.

"David died when he was two years old." Cameron took a deep breath before continuing. "By the time they diagnosed him with Whipple's, it was too late."

House gripped the picture even tighter as he looked at it. Cameron had watched as her son lost weight at an uncontrollable rate. She had watched as her son lost control of his body, lost his vision, and went through pain nobody should ever have to experience. She had watched as her son died just two years after she watched her husband deteriorate.

House looked away from the picture to see the Cameron's tears were finally starting to come to an end. "Are you okay, Allison?"

"No."


	12. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

**Santa Claus is Coming to Town**

December 8, 2007 – 7:24pm (Saturday)

After telling House all about the deaths of her husband and son, Cameron also confessed to falling in love with her husband's best friend, Joe. House didn't seem to have a problem with it (after all, Cameron was comfortable with his relationship with Stacy), but that was until he realized that he and Cameron would be spending their Christmas with Joe.

"Knock! Knock!" shouted Angela cheerily as she walked through the front door of her old house. "Is there anybody home?"

Grace and Joe followed Angela into the house. Grace had been to the house many times, but Joe hadn't been to the house in many, many years. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron immediately recognized him, though. They both welcomed him warmly.

After giving Angela a hug, Mrs. Cameron pulled Joe into a hug as well. "Oh, Joe, it's so nice to see you again."

Joe smiled. "It's great to see you, too, Joan."

Mr. Cameron smiled as he, too, pulled Joe into a welcoming hug. "Good to see you again, Joe."

"Thanks! You too, Mark."

Cameron's parents finally noticed that Grace was struggling to hold a rather large bag, probably full of presents. They helped her carry them over to the Christmas tree.

Angela looked around the large, open living room. "Where's Ally?"

"Oh, she and Greg are just upstairs," said Joan Cameron. "I think Greg was playing with his video game while Ally wrapped some presents."

Grace grinned as House and Cameron appeared at the top of the stairs. She ran to the base of the stairs. "Aunt Ally! Greg!"

Cameron grinned in return. "Hey, Gracie! How was the drive?"

Grace sighed. "Boring."

House laughed. "Tell me about it. I tried to fly here, but your aunt wouldn't let me."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Mom wouldn't let us fly either."

Angela smiled as she stood next to her daughter. "Well, it's good to see you again, Greg." She said it flatly and dryly, but everybody got the feeling she really was happy to see him.

House pretended not to be happy to see her either, but everyone knew he was lying. "Look, my game is paused…." He motioned behind him, suggesting that he really had to go.

Angela rolled her eyes. "I don't believe you."

Grace was ecstatic though. "Can I play?!"

House tried not to smile when he agreed to let her play video games with him.

Cameron stayed downstairs, though. House didn't miss the tight hug that she gave Joe as he walked up the stairs. He frowned at the thought of her ever loving another man, but he tried to remind himself that he was completely okay with her past. Everyone had a past, and she was no different.

When he and Grace got to Cameron's bedroom, House sat in the chair, and Grace plopped down on the floor with a smile on her face.

"Thank god you're here," mumbled House. "Did you know that Larry and Martha don't like to play video games?"

Grace giggled. "You mean Lilly and Matt?"

"That's what I said."

Grace rolled her eyes. "I hate those two."

House un-paused the game, and they began to play. "Yeah, me too."

House and Grace got lost in their video game until they were called down to dinner.

& - & - & - & - & - &

After a hearty breakfast, everyone in the Chase house decided to go Christmas shopping (not together, of course). Pam and Trina both decided to go to the mall, but Chase, Katie, and Carly wanted to go to some of the shops in Sydney. Pam agreed to let Carly spend the night in Sydney with them, but only if she hurried home the next day.

By the time Chase, Carly, and Katie all arrived in Sydney, it was past 6pm. They had a quick dinner before going their separate ways. While Katie checked into the hotel, Chase took Carly to a jewelry store.

"Oh… that one's beautiful," she marveled at the jewelry in the glass cases.

Chase wasn't ready for marriage, but he wanted to buy Katie something to show her how much he really loved her.

Carly pointed to a pearl necklace in the case. "What about that one?"

Chase thought about it. "I want something with diamonds."

Carly looked around the cases a little more until something caught her eye. "Robbie! Look at this!"

"What did you find?" Chase walked up to the case where Carly was standing, and his jaw nearly dropped at the beauty of the jewel. It was gorgeous, just like Katie. "It's fantastic."

Carly grinned. "Oh, please buy it for her!"

Chase laughed. "How much is it?"

Carly looked around for a price and frowned when she saw it. She didn't even want to answer her brother's question.

Chase finally found the price himself. "Carly! That's a fortune!"

Carly turned around with a very serious look on her face. "You can't put a price on love, Robert."

Chase rolled his eyes as a salesman approached them.

"The young lady is right," he said. "I see you are interested in the Sapphire and Diamond bracelet?"

"Correction," said Chase quickly. "I _was_ interested."

The salesman haggled with Chase until he finally reached a reasonable price. It was still expensive though. Chase couldn't believe that he'd just spent that much money on one bracelet.

Carly grinned as they left the shop. "She's going to love it!"

"For that price, she'd better love it."

Carly laughed. She knew that Katie would love the bracelet. It was 14 karat gold with 16 Sapphire stones formed in a chain. Each stone was encircled with a ring of diamonds. It truly was magnificent. And for that price, it should be.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler were inside Cuddy's office, volunteering to help out with the annual gift giveaway (they didn't have anything better to do on Christmas Eve) when Wilson walked in. Foreman and Adler left when they saw him coming.

"What were they in here for?" asked Wilson.

"Foreman just volunteered to be Santa at our Christmas Eve Gift Giveaway," replied Cuddy. "And Adler agreed to be his elf."

Wilson laughed. "Sounds like fun."

Cuddy nodded. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you got those tickets for our parents to the New Year's Eve Ball."

Cuddy nodded and pulled four tickets out of her desk drawer. "Thanks for reminding me!" She handed them to Wilson. "I still haven't even bought my dress."

"Well, you still have a few weeks, I suppose."

Cuddy laughed. "It'll be here before we know it, though."

Wilson smiled. "That's true." He raised the tickets up. "Thanks. I'll make sure to hold onto these. I'll go pick Riley up, and I'll meet you back down here?"

Cuddy nodded and gave Wilson a peck on the cheek before letting him leave her office.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House and Grace were in a very exciting, and apparently very distracting, part of their video game when Cameron entered the bedroom. They didn't even notice her until she stood in front of them and waved. House quickly paused the game so they wouldn't lose.

Grace whined. "What did you do that for?! We were almost done!"

Cameron laughed at her niece and House. "Dinner's ready."


	13. You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch

**You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch**

December 8, 2007 – 7:45pm (Saturday)

House and Grace left their video game on pause while they went down to dinner. Everybody was already seated at the table, besides Mrs. Cameron who was bringing large serving dishes over to the table. House and Grace both took a seat next to each other so that House was sitting next to Cameron and Grace was sitting next to Joe. On the other side of the table sat Cameron's aunt, uncle, and twin cousins. Angela sat next to Joe, and Mr. and Mrs. Cameron sat at the ends of the table. Danny decided to sit next to his uncle.

"Greg," said Lillian rather politely. "Would you please pass me the potatoes?"

House looked at her curiously. "They're right in front of you."

"I can't reach them."

"Well neither can I."

Grace smirked. She had a feeling that by the end of the night, House was going to use his cane to make somebody a human Popsicle. "Why don't you ask Matt to get them if they're _really _that hard for your stubby hands to reach?"

Lily gasped. "How dare you call me stubby, Pipsqueak!"

Grace gasped in return. "At least my boobs don't take up one third of my weight!"

Angela and Joe both gasped at the same time. "GRACE!" they shouted.

"How dare you let your daughter talk like that!" yelled Judy Cameron.

Angela scowled at her aunt. "Well she wouldn't have talked like that if _your_ daughter hadn't provoked her!"

"Maybe she needs to learn some more self-control then."

"Well at least she has a little control, unlike your daughter." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Judy's jaw dropped as she turned to look at her 18-year-old daughter.

Lily blushed. "I have no idea what she's talking about, Mom."

Matt laughed. "I'm just glad _someone_ finally said it!"

Lily huffed, but Grace, Joe, Angela, and House were on the verge of laughter. Cameron, Danny, Mark, and Joan were all stunned and silenced by the exchange.

Judy and her husband, Paul, seemed very displeased with the whole situation. They both glared at everyone rudely.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Paul as he scowled at Joe. "Maybe your daughter doesn't have any control because she didn't have a father to teach it to her."

Grace was about to burst. "I did, too, have a father! His name was Charlie."

Lily put on her snootiest expression. "Oh really? What ever happened to him?"

Grace closed her mouth quickly as her face became red with anger and embarrassment. "May I be excused?" She looked at her mother and Joe, who both nodded.

House watched her leave. She was probably going to go play the video game without him. Damn. Once she'd left the dining room, House glared at Lily. "You know, Lily, I've seen your type before."

Lily was intrigued. "Oh really?"

House nodded. "I've always had to pay admission though."

Lily's face turned red. "You should treat me with a little respect."

"Why should I?" House asked as he popped a vicodin.

"Because someday _my _tax dollars are going to be paying for _your_ prison cell."

House had to give the girl kudos for coming up with that. "Too bad I've _already_ defied the legal system, my friend."

Cameron cupped her face in her hands as everyone at the table turned their glances towards her and House. "I think I'm done eating," she said quietly.

Joan and Mark weren't sure what to make of House's comment, but Joan decided it would be best to change the subject right away. "We've already made dessert though, Ally!"

Cameron sighed as she got up. "Maybe I'll have some later."

Now everyone was looking at House.

As soon as House saw Cameron get up to leave, he got up as well. Where Cameron went, he went. Hopefully she was going to her bedroom so he could play more video games.

& - & - & - & - & -&

It was another late night for Wilson and Cuddy. By the time they picked Riley up from daycare, he was already asleep. So, they both drove home quietly so as not to wake him. Luckily, Wilson's parents had already cooked dinner for them by the time they arrived. It was becoming a tradition of theirs to all have dinner together every night, followed by the lighting of the menorah.

"Sorry we're late," whispered Cuddy as they entered the house.

Wilson took Riley from Cuddy's hands and put him to bed as Cuddy helped Wilson's parents find everything they needed to finish off dinner. Her parents followed her into the kitchen, too.

"Where on Earth have you been, Lisa?" asked her mother.

Cuddy sighed. "Time flies when you're at work I guess."

"Well we're lucky you told us where the key was, or we'd all be waiting outside!"

Cuddy frowned. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Mrs. Cuddy frowned as well. "This is your son's first Chanukah, Lisa. You really should be celebrating it properly."

Cuddy opened her mouth to speak, but her mother cut her off.

"You didn't even go to the synagogue today, did you?"

"Mom, I had a lot of work to do."

"It's Saturday, Lisa!"

"We have a big event coming up," said Cuddy. She'd finished the planning, but now she was busy with all the arrangements.

Wilson noticed the feud between Cuddy and her mother when he entered the kitchen and decided to help things out. "We managed to get you those tickets by the way."

Mrs. Cuddy smiled. "Oh did you? Thank you so much, James."

Cuddy's jaw dropped, but she decided to drop it. Hopefully her mother was satisfied for now. "I think dinner's almost ready, Mother."

Wilson and Cuddy both sat down at the table, followed by Cuddy's parents. Wilson's parents set serving dishes on the table before sitting down. The Cuddy family all inhaled the delicious scent. Obviously a talent for cooking ran in Wilson's family.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Carly, Chase, and Katie had all had a marvelous night's sleep at their hotel in Sydney, and none of them wanted to leave.

Carly looked around the luxurious hotel room. "I wish we could stay here for a few more days."

Chase's smile turned into a smirk. "Well, I suppose we could stay for a few extra days."

Carly was confused, as was Katie.

"But Mom said that we had to be back by tonight," said Carly. Then she noticed her brother's smirk. "Robbie, no! She'll kill us!"

"Oh come on," said Chase with a roll of the eyes. "Loosen up a bit and have some fun."

Carly was weary at first, but finally agreed to Chase's plan. "I guess it's a good thing Mom's paying for the hotel room, huh?"

Everybody in the room laughed as Katie called the front desk to extend their stay by a few days.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler had been working late nights in the Clinic for the last few days. They didn't have any cases, and without House here, they could actually get their _own_ hours done for a change!

Adler entered Exam 3 with a red file in hand. A woman was seated on the examination table, and a man was seated in a chair at her side.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Adler with a smile on her face.

The woman seemed weak as she answered. "I've been nauseous the last couple of days, and yesterday I started vomiting."

The man at her side seemed rather impatient with the whole situation. "I told her that it was just the flu, but she insisted upon coming here. I'm sorry."

Adler shook her head. "No, it's quite alright. So you've been experiencing nausea and vomiting? Do you have any other symptoms?"

The woman was about to speak, but she suddenly passed out and fell off of the examination table. Luckily, the man caught her as soon as he noticed her falling.

Adler looked at the man sternly. "Are you sure it's just the flu?"

The man frowned at Adler as he picked the woman up and laid her down on the examination table. Meanwhile, Adler called a nurse to bring her admitting papers.

& - & - & - & - & - &

As it turned out, Grace hadn't gone to finish the video game when she left the dinner table. Instead, she had gone straight to bed. Apparently, Lily had really hit a soft spot on her. House and Cameron both considered going into her room to talk to her, but they decided against it. So they, too, went to bed.

House laid awake for several hours, though, just waiting for Cameron (and everyone else in the house) to fall asleep. Once he was sure that everyone was sleeping in their beds, he quietly got up and left the room.

House went into the bathroom and grabbed Cameron's make-up bag and filled up a glass of warm water. Then he tip-toed down the hall and towards the room that Matt and Lily were sharing. He was about to turn the knob, when it started turning on its own. House panicked. He was about to be caught!

Joe walked through the door and seemed just as shocked as House was.

House was confused when he saw Joe. "What are you doing here?"

Joe looked at House carefully. "What are _you _doing here?"

House carefully hid the make-up bag and glass of water behind his back. "Um, nothing."

Joe shrugged. "Same here."

"Well," started House innocently. "Carry on, then."

Joe nodded as he made his escape past House. He stopped outside his own door, though. He turned to look at House before going inside. "If you were going to put that make-up on Matt's face, and put Lily's hand in that glass of water, then you're too late." With that, he walked into the room that he was sharing with Angela, leaving House alone in the dark and empty hallway.

House smirked. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad after all.


	14. Do You Hear What I Hear?

**Do You Hear What I Hear?**

December 9, 2007 – 8:12am (Sunday)

Everyone in the Cameron house was awoken quite abruptly the next morning by the bloodcurdling screams of Lily and Matt.

Cameron sat upright in her bed and glared at House. "What did you do?"

House had a smirk on his face. "Absolutely nothing, my dear."

Cameron scowled at him. "Tell me why they're screaming, now, or… or…"

House almost laughed as he sat up. "Or what?"

Cameron's scowl turned into a smile. How could she stay mad at him? "What did you do?"

"I already told you! I didn't do anything!"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Well, we'll see." She got up and poked her head out the door. Everyone else had done the same thing.

"What's going on?" asked Angela.

House got up and noticed a guilty, but amused Joe standing behind her. He put his finger over his mouth, telling House to keep quiet. House smirked.

Matt and Lily's door had yet to open, but everyone could hear their shouting throughout the whole house.

"What the heck did you do!?" shouted Lily.

"Me?! You put make-up on my face, you jerk!" retorted Matt.

"I didn't do that!"

"And you think I put your hand in a cup of warm water? God, Lily, I'm not 8 years old anymore!"

Both Joe and House laughed at the comment. This immediately caught the attention of Cameron and Angela. They both looked at their men.

"What the hell did you do?" they asked in unison.

House and Joe both replied in unison, as well. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson and Cuddy were getting ready for work when there was a knock at their door. Who could that be so early in the morning?

Cuddy answered the door to find her parents. "Oh, Mom…. What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Cuddy smiled. "Well, your father and I decided that we would spend the day with Riley."

"Oh, that's really not necessary, Mom."

Mrs. Cuddy frowned. "You're getting ready for work, aren't you?"

"I already told you, it's a busy season, Mom."

"Lisa, it's the weekend. You should stay home with your son."

Cuddy sighed. "I would if I could, Mother." She finally let her parents into the house.

"Well, if you won't be spending the day with your son, then I don't see why we can't."

Wilson walked in to find Cuddy's parents in the living room. "Oh, Mr. Cuddy… Mrs. Cuddy… So nice to see you."

"Are you going to work today, too, James?" asked Mr. Cuddy.

Wilson sheepishly nodded. "I have to finish the paperwork for a few of my patients. They're trying to get into drug trials, and um… I'm sorry… Why… are you here?"

Mr. and Mrs. Cuddy both blushed.

"How rude of us," Mrs. Cuddy said politely. "We just stopped by to see if you needed a babysitter for the day."

"Oh, that's really not necessary," said Wilson.

Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. "See, we're fine, Mom. Thank you though."

Mrs. Cuddy was becoming impatient with her daughter. "Lisa, I don't see what the big deal is with letting your mother baby-sit your son for the day. He _is_ my grandson after all!"

Cuddy sighed and turned to look at Wilson, who obviously didn't want any trouble.

"I guess if they really want to baby-sit, they can, Lisa." Wilson shrugged.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Fine. We'll be home as soon as possible."

Mr. and Mrs. Cuddy both assumed that that meant late.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman was excited to hear that Adler had admitted a patient. That meant no more clinic hours… at least for a little while. Hopefully it would go better with this patient than their last one. Foreman went to complete the medical history while Adler drew some blood.

He began by making sure her fainting spell hadn't damaged her brain. It probably hadn't. "Can you tell me your name?"

"She fainted," said the man at her side. "She didn't crack her skull open."

"Will you just let her answer?" asked Foreman.

"Excuse my husband," said the woman. "Frank always gets grumpy this time of the year. His office always gets busy during the holiday season."

Foreman snorted. "Yeah, we do too. Can you tell me your name?"

"Holly," she replied. "My name's Holly."

Foreman nodded. "When did your symptoms start, Holly?"

She gave a description of her symptoms while Adler began drawing blood.

"I started feeling nauseous four days ago, and two nights ago, I started throwing up."

"Do you remember what happened in the Clinic?"

Holly thought for a moment. "I was talking to you," she said, pointing to Adler, "And then everything went black. I don't remember anything after that."

Foreman nodded. "Do you have any other illnesses?"

"Just hayfever," she said with a chuckle. "I guess it's kind of ironic for a florist to have hayfever, huh?"

Foreman shrugged. "We have a crippled doctor on our staff."

The woman smiled. "It's not exactly the same thing."

Foreman shrugged. Maybe not. "Do you have a family history of mental illness, heart disease, or any other medical condition?"

"My uncle died of a heart attack I think," she replied. "I think everyone else is healthy in the family."

Foreman made the note on her chart. He was about to ask her another question when he noticed her humming a familiar Christmas tune. "Holly?"

Holly seemed distracted, but after being called by Foreman and Adler several times, she finally responded.

"Holly, are you okay?" asked Foreman. "You seemed a little distracted."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just love that song."

Foreman and Adler looked at each other. "What song?" Foreman asked.

Now Holly was confused. "Carol of the Bells… didn't you hear it?"

Everyone in the room shook their heads. It looked like they had a new symptom.

& - & - & - & - & - &

As soon as Pam heard that Chase, Katie, and Carly were all staying for a few more days at her expense, she was outraged. She only hoped that if she paid for this, Carly would drop the talk about going to Princeton.

Katie was very satisfied with herself after booking the room for a few more days, though. "You know, Carly, the apartment wasn't your only birthday present."

Carly grinned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't know that Robbie was going to ask me to move in with him, so I made sure to buy you another present ahead of time."

Carly's smile widened. "Really? What did you get me?"

Katie reached into her purse and pulled out a small envelope. She handed it to Carly.

Carly opened the envelope and nearly jumped with joy. "Tickets to the Sydney Opera House?! I've lived in Australia all my life and I've never even been there! Thank you so much, Katie!" She gave Katie a great big hug.

Katie laughed. "I'm glad you like it because we're going tomorrow night."

Chase and Carly gasped as they looked at the date on the ticket.

"How did you know we'd be able to go?" asked Carly.

Katie shrugged. "I figured we'd find a way to escape that house one way or another."

Carly squealed with joy. "Oh, Katie! We have to go buy dresses today! Robbie! You need to get a tux! We're going to the opera!"

Chase didn't seem as excited as his little sister, though. He leaned into Katie's ear and whispered quietly.

"You're making me go to the opera?"


	15. Grown Up Christmas List

**Grown Up Christmas List**

December 9, 2007 – 10:31pm (Sunday)

After a long day, House and Cameron finally retired to their bedroom. There was still one thing that Cameron couldn't figure out though, so she just _had_ to ask House.

"Why did you do it?"

House looked at her, confused. "Why did I do what?"

"Why did you pull those pranks on Lily and Matt?"

"I already told you," he said. "I didn't do that."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "So that's why my makeup bag isn't where I left it last night, then?"

House fidgeted uncomfortably.

"If you didn't do it, then why did you tell everybody else that you did?"

"To take the heat off of the person who really _did_ do it."

"And who was that?" Cameron was becoming more and more interested.

House thought for a moment. "You can't tell anyone."

"Now why would I do a thing like that?"

House bobbed his head from side to side and gave her the usual roll of his eyes. "Just promise you won't tell anyone."

Cameron giggled. "Alright, alright. I won't tell anyone."

"It was Joe."

Cameron grinned. "I knew it!"

House's jaw dropped. "Then why did you keep accusing me?!"

"I was just playing along with the crowd."

"Why?!"

"To take the heat off of the person who _really _did do it."

House stared at the dolls on Cameron's shelf, trying to distract himself from this conversation.

"Why did you do it?" she asked again.

Now House was even more confused. Didn't they just have this conversation? "Why did I do what?"

"Why did you protect Joe?"

"He didn't want anyone to know it was him."

"That didn't mean that you had to say that _you _did it."

"It took any doubt that it might have been him away."

"And why would you want to protect Joe?"

House didn't like where this conversation was going. "I was about to do the prank myself anyways."

Cameron grinned. "Ah-ha! So you _did_ pull a prank on them?"

"Correction," said House as he picked up the boy and girl dolls again. "I _was _going to."

"Why didn't you?"

"He beat me to it."

Cameron laughed. "Sorry to hear that."

House snorted. "Yeah, I was disappointed to."

Cameron thought for a moment. "Why did you do it?"

House rolled his eyes. "How many times are we going to have this conversation?!"

Cameron smirked. "Why were you going to pull a prank on Matt and Lily?"

He _definitely _didn't like where this was going now. "I pull pranks on everybody, remember?"

Cameron shrugged. "So it wasn't because you wanted to defend Grace's honor?" she joked.

House sneered at her mockingly. "No, she has Joe to do that for her. I just wanted to make the terrible two angry."

Cameron chuckled. "The terrible two? You've nicknamed my cousins, have you?"

"I have," said House finally. This conversation was over. He raised the two dolls to Cameron as he walked towards her. Cameron sat back on the bed and watched him, smiling all the while.

Boy: Why are you so mean to Greg?

Girl: I'm not mean. I thought he liked it rough.

Boy: Well sometimes you're a little _too_ pushy.

Girl: I am not! Now stop playing and come to bed!

Cameron laughed. "I do not sound like that."

"Of course you do."

Cameron rolled her eyes as House sat down on the bed, still playing with her dolls.

Boy: Well if you wanted me to come to bed, you should have just asked.

Girl: I just did!

Boy: makes kissing noises

Girl: Ah, I wuv you so much, Greggie Weggie.

Boy: Don't call me that.

Girl: (

Boy: makes more kissing noises I wuv you too, Ally Wally.

Cameron laughed as she pulled House to her by the collar. "Don't call me that."

House smirked as Cameron pulled him into a deep and longing kiss. Neither one of them noticed as the two dolls fell to the ground.

& - & - & - & - & - &

After a delicious lunch in Sydney, Carly and Katie finally managed to pull Chase into the shopping district. They couldn't show up at the opera house in jeans and t-shirts, after all!

"I can't believe I'm doing this," groaned Chase as he stepped out of a dressing room in a tux. "How do I look?"

"Good," said Carly and Katie in unison.

"Good," said Chase. "Let's buy it and go."

"Wait!" said Katie quickly. "Don't you want to try on any of the others first?"

"Not really…."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Fine, be that way. Just know that you'll be spending the rest of the day in dress shops with us."

"It won't be half as bad as actually _going_ to the opera," sighed Chase. At least he'd get to look at his girlfriend and sister in pretty dresses.

"Fine," said Katie. "If that's really the one you want—."

"It is," said Chase quickly as he went back into the dressing room to change out of it. When he was done, he walked out of the stall and handed a salesman his tux. "Now can we go?"

Katie and Carly quickly found a dress shop that looked interesting. They both went inside and browsed through the many elegant gowns. Chase just sat in a chair, holding his tux, and waited for them to choose something.

"What about this one?" Carly asked as she held up a red dress.

"I love it," said Chase, probably too quickly and too dryly. "Are we done now?"

Carly sighed. "No, I don't like the color much."

"Then find a color you _do_ like," sighed Chase.

Katie stepped out of the dressing room and displayed a beautiful gown. It was a baby blue, satin ball gown. The net confection was covered with clear, silvery beads. The spaghetti-strap gown had a sweetheart neckline and a basque waist. Chase leaned forward in awe as he watched Katie emerge from the dressing room, looking like an angel.

"You look gorgeous," he said in wonderment.

Katie blushed. "I take it you like the dress, then?"

Chase nodded. "And I'm not just trying to rush out of the shop this time."

Carly and Katie both giggled.

"I like it too," added Carly. "You have to get it!"

Katie nodded. "I think I will."

Carly eventually decided upon a pale pink, satin ball gown. It was strapless with spangle work. There was silver, sparkling sequins all over it. It had a basque waistline and netting over the bouffant skirt. Like Katie, she looked angelic in it.

When Carly and Katie both pulled out their wallets to pay, Chase stopped them. They both grinned.

"Consider it an early Christmas gift," he said to them both. And _what_ a Christmas gift it was! Together, the two dresses cost a little over 500 dollars.

As Chase paid for the dresses, Carly answered her ringing cell phone.

Carly (ecstatic): Hello?

Pam: Carly, how are you?

Carly: I'm great, Mom! Robbie just bought me and Katie the most beautiful dresses I have _ever_ seen!

Pam: He bought you dresses? Why?

Carly: Katie got us tickets to opening night at the opera! Isn't that wonderful?!

Pam (slightly jealous): Yes, that's wonderful, Carly. Um, do you three know when you'll be home yet?

Carly covered the mouthpiece of her cell phone with her hand as she asked Chase and Katie when they would be returning to the house. Katie insisted upon seeing the zoo before they left Sydney, though, so Chase agreed to stay a few more days. After all, he wasn't the one paying for the hotel room!

Carly: Katie really wants to see the zoo, so we'll probably be home in like 5 more days.

Pam: Five days?! It doesn't take five days to see the zoo!

Carly (laughing): Well, it is a big zoo.

Pam: It's not _that_ big.

Carly: But Mom, we really want to do some more Christmas shopping, too. Please? I swear; we'll leave on the 16th. Okay?

Pam: This better be one nice hotel.

Carly: It is, trust me.

Line Closes

Carly grinned as Chase finished purchasing the dresses.

"We've got until the 16th," she said.

Katie grinned as well. They had five more days in Sydney, and they were going to make them worth while.


	16. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

**Hark! The Herald Angels Sing**

December 10, 2007 – 6:04pm (Monday)

Chase, Carly, and Katie booked reservations at a classy restaurant near the opera house so they wouldn't get hungry during the show. It was Chase's idea to eat first, of course.

"Just make sure not to spill anything on your dresses," said Chase. "I'm not buying another one. And if you get them messy, you'll just have to live with it, for tonight at least."

The girls both giggled.

"Gee, thanks," said Carly as the three of them took their seats.

"This place looks so nice," said Katie as she looked around the restaurant. "Are you sure you can afford this?"

"Consider it an early Christmas gift," said Chase.

"That's what you said about the dresses," said Carly.

"Yeah," said Katie. "Are we not supposed to expect any presents on Christmas Day?"

Carly grinned. "Oh, he's got a present for you."

Chase kicked Carly under the table.

"Ouch," she yelped. "What was that for?"

"For not keeping your big mouth shut."

Katie was more than interested now. "A present? For me? I wonder what it could be…."

"You'll love it!" said Carly eagerly. This earned her another kick from Chase. "Ouch! Stop it, Robert!"

"I'll stop when you stop."

Carly frowned. "Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut. Sorry, Katie."

Katie laughed as the waiter came over to take their orders. Once the wine had been ordered, all three of them took a glance at the menu. Katie finally decided on pasta. Chase wanted a steak. Carly wanted the chicken.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase, Katie, and Carly all made it through dinner without getting anything on their clothing, though Chase almost spilled a glass of wine on his white shirt. That would not have been good. Luckily, Katie stopped the glass from tipping. And so, the group all proceeded to the opera house. Tonight's show was _Carmen_.

Chase took a seat between Carly and Katie. Throughout the whole play, he couldn't even describe how bored he was. He tried to distract himself by staring at both Carly and Katie. They really did look lovely in their dresses, but there's only a certain amount of time you can stare at a person before growing bored with that as well.

Chase watched as Carly mouthed some of the words to the songs. She obviously loved the opera, even though she'd never actually had the pleasure of attending one. Why hadn't he known that? He was her brother, and he didn't even know that she liked the opera. Chase frowned as he thought of how hard it must have been for her to grow up with him living in the states. Heck, growing up with Pam and Tina probably made things even worse. He should have been there for her more often. Why wasn't he though? His father? Probably. He wouldn't deny that the relationship that he had with his father was a horrible one, and it was too painful to keep living with it after his mother died. It wasn't long before Chase's memories became dark and depressing, and he didn't want them to continue, so he moved on to a different distraction.

He tried to recall as many cases that he had worked on with House as he could, and he tried to remember them in order. It wasn't as easy as he'd thought.

_Let's see… There was tapeworm girl, um… Then it was night-terror boy… And then… Weren't the babies next? Didn't we kill one of them? Oh that wasn't fun at all. I can't believe House did that! What was next? Was it the schizophrenic woman? No, we had someone else before her I thought. What did she have anyways? Wilson's disease, right? Why do they call it Wilson's disease? I suppose because Dr. Wilson discovered it or studied it or something. Hey, maybe he was related to James Wilson. That would be cool to say you're related to a famous doctor. Maybe not, though. House is a famous doctor and no one likes to associate with him. Well, Cameron does, but I don't exactly know why…. Hmmm… Maybe it's the cane. Or his rebellious nature? I'm a rebel! Why didn't she like me? Okay, so maybe I'm more of an opportunist than a rebel, but still. I do what I think is right. That's why she likes him, right? Why am I thinking about Cameron again? Here I am, sitting next to one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes upon, and I'm thinking about Cameron._

Chase shook the thought from his mind as he looked at Katie again. God, she was gorgeous. He wouldn't give her up for the world or even for another chance with Cameron. No, he wanted her and only her.

Chase watched her eyes sparkle as she gazed upon the costumed performers. It pleased him very much to see her so happy.

He looked at Carly. Her eyes were also fixed on the magnificent singers and dancers on the stage. She looked so happy to be right there, right then.

He may not have been enjoying the opera, but he sure did love the company.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Once the opera was finished, Chase was quick to stand up and leave. Carly and Katie both followed him, laughing at his eagerness.

"So you didn't like it, did you?" asked Katie.

Chase sneered. "Are you kidding? I loved it!"

Both girls rolled their eyes.

"You honestly hated it, didn't you?" asked Carly.

Chase laughed. "Something about weird singing and foreign languages just doesn't appeal to me I guess."

"It's not about the language and the singing," said Katie.

"Yeah," agreed Carly. "It's about the passion in their voices. You're not always meant to be able to understand what they're actually saying, but if you can understand how they feel just by listening to the tone of their voices, and if you can follow the plot just by watching them move, then it really _is_ amazing."

Chase bobbed his head slightly. "I guess I couldn't follow the plot then."

Katie snorted. "Maybe you just weren't paying attention."

That could have been it.


	17. Up on the Housetop

**Up on the Housetop**

December 11, 2007 – 10:13am (Tuesday)

Foreman and Adler reviewed the lab results on Holly's blood culture. Everything had come back negative.

"Negative?" asked Foreman. "How can everything be negative?"

Adler shrugged. "Maybe she isn't on any drugs," she said rudely.

"Or maybe they've just cleared her system."

"Right and they've been waiting until now to take effect on her."

"Maybe."

Adler rolled her eyes. "Or maybe it's not drugs."

"What else could cause these symptoms?" asked Foreman as he and Adler both looked at the whiteboard.

**Fatigue**

**Nausea**

**Vomitting**

**Fainting**

**Auditory Hallucinations**

"Maybe she has the flu," gasped Adler.

"Yes," said Foreman. "Because typical flu patients experience fainting spells and hallucinations."

"Maybe her fever spiked high enough to cause neurological conditions."

"She doesn't have a fever."

"Yet."

"Well if she doesn't have a fever yet, then they obviously aren't causing her fainting or hallucinations."

Adler frowned. "It has to be drugs."

"You said it wasn't drugs."

Adler rolled her eyes. "It's not drugs. But it has to be some type of toxicity."

"Some type of toxicity that isn't showing up on the toxin screen?"

"Exactly."

Foreman was confused. "We should run a urine test. It'll show more results."

"I've already ordered it," said Adler.

"When?"

"Last night after the blood test showed negative results," she said. "The results should be back later today."

Foreman nodded. "We should check her house and shop for any toxins."

"I'll take the shop," said Adler. "You take the house."

Foreman agreed, and they both went on their way.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman inspected Holly's house very carefully. He made sure to take samples of anything that looked even moderately suspicious. Honestly, though, not much did. The most suspicious thing was the fact that there were large pails of paint in their garage. Several rooms in the house appeared to have fresh paint on them, too. It looked like Frank was doing some handy work over the Christmas holiday.

& - & - & - & - & - &

When Adler arrived at the flower shop, she was greeted by a cashier, asking her what she was interested in. Adler told her the reason why she was really there, and the woman let her take clippings of anything that she needed too. She marveled at the beauty of the flowers. There were tons of holiday flowers, such as poinsettia and mistletoe, and there were even wreaths for sale. Of course, the usual flowers were also on sale, but the store seemed to take on a very merry atmosphere. Adler thanked the woman for her time as she left the shop.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler met up in the Conference Room after dropping their samples off at the lab. They discussed their findings.

"The shop seems clean enough," said Adler. "They don't use any type of pesticide on their plants."

Foreman nodded. "The house is clean, too, but they are repainting."

"You're thinking lead poisoning?"

"It fits."

Adler had to agree. "I'll run a test for heavy metal toxicity."

"Test her for arsenic and mercury too," added Foreman.

Adler nodded as she left to run the blood culture.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Adler entered Holly's room, ready to do the blood culture. She informed the patient of what she and Foreman were looking for.

"We're going to test you for heavy metal toxicity," she said. "This test is going to tell us if you were poisoned by arsenic, lead, or mercury."

"You think someone poisoned me?"

"No, no, no. We think that a toxin from your house or your shop could be making you sick."

"My house or shop poisoned me?"

Adler was too impatient to deal with her confused patient. "Yes, we do."

Adler inserted the needle into Holly's arm. "Alright, hold still."

But Holly didn't hold still, much to Adler's displease. When Adler looked up, she saw that Holly was having a seizure.

"Call a code!"


	18. Chanukah, Oh Chanukah

**Chanukah, Oh Chanukah**

December 12, 2007 – 5:25pm (Wednesday)

It was the last day of Chanukah, so Wilson and Cuddy made sure to be home on time. It was a good thing, too, because if they hadn't been, their parents never would have let them live it down.

Cuddy was playing The Dreidel Game with Riley and her parents in the living room. They weren't exactly playing it with Riley (he was still only a small baby), but he did like to watch his dreidel spin.

Wilson was cooking dinner for everybody, with the assistance of his parents. It was a new recipe that he was trying out, but his parents had cooked it many times before.

Mrs. Cuddy pulled the challah bread out of the oven. "So how has work been going?"

Wilson smiled as he took the bread from her and put it on a serving plate. "Good, actually. Really good."

"I suppose it helps that you're dating your boss," joked his father.

Wilson simply rolled his eyes at the comment. Like he hadn't heard that one before.

"Oh be nice to him," replied his mother with a playful nudge. "I'm sure his intentions are good."

Wilson chuckled and gave his mother a nod as he added seasoning to the dish.

"So how is House?" She changed the subject, and quite obviously. "We haven't heard from in a while. Is he doing fine, too?"

Wilson nodded. "He got himself a new girlfriend."

"Oh, that's right. He's not seeing that Sandra woman anymore, is he?"

"Her name was Stacy, and no he's not."

"So what's this new girl like?"

Wilson smirked. "Young."

"Young?" asked his father, intrigued. House always knew how to pick them.

"Well, Dad," started Wilson. "I'm not the only one dating their boss."

"She works for him?" gasped his mother.

Wilson nodded. "Once the hospital found out, Lisa moved her to Immunology. She's the Assistant Head of the department now."

"That's quite a promotion," observed Mr. Wilson.

Wilson shrugged. "She deserved it. She's a really smart, ethical, and talented doctor."

"So you like her then?" asked his father.

Wilson was confused. "What do you mean… do I _like _her?"

"Is she good for House?" asked his mother.

Wilson nodded. "Are you kidding? She's the best thing that's happened to him in… Well, probably since Stacy."

"I never really liked that Stacy," said Mrs. Wilson.

"Why not?"

Mrs. Wilson shrugged. "I guess I just didn't see her ever really ending up with House."

Wilson smirked. "Me either."

"But you think this new woman… what was her name?"

"Allison."

"You think this Allison could be the one?"

Wilson shrugged. "Let's put it this way. Either she _is_ the one for him, and they live happily ever after, or she's _not_ the one for him and he's done trying. If anyone is going to finally snag House, it's Allison."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilson seemed satisfied with this conclusion, so they changed the subject back to Wilson's job… and the meal they were cooking. It was coming out fabulously.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy spun the dreidel again, and ended up collecting several of the chocolate coins in the pot. Then it was her mother's turn.

"Dinner smells absolutely wonderful," she noted as she spun the dreidel.

Cuddy nodded and gave her parents a smile. "Jimmy's a great cook."

"I can tell," said her father as he spun the dreidel.

"So… have you two ever thought about getting married?" asked her mother. She wasn't exactly being very discrete with the subject.

Cuddy rolled her eyes as she spun the dreidel. "We're fine with things the way they are right now, Mother."

"If things are so… _fine_… then why _don't_ you get married?"

Cuddy didn't like where this conversation was going. "We both have hectic lives, Mom—."

"Yes, we have _seen_ that," interrupted her father.

Cuddy frowned. "Just because we work a lot doesn't mean that we don't spend enough time together… or with Riley."

"We aren't saying that," insisted Mrs. Cuddy. "All we're saying is that you aren't getting any younger, and maybe now that Riley is in your lives, maybe it's time to start putting your family before your career."

"Why do I have to put either of those before the other?" asked Cuddy. "Why can't I just balance my family life _and_ my career?"

Her parents both frowned.

"You have a wonderful job, Lisa," said her father. "And we're very proud of you, you know that, right?"

Cuddy snorted. "You have a great way of showing it," she said quietly.

Her mother ignored the comment. "We just think it's time that you start focusing on your family a little bit more."

Cuddy didn't exactly know what to say, and she was thankful that good old Jimmy came to save the day… as usual.

"Dinner's ready," he announced to the Cuddy family.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson and Cuddy took a seat at the ends of the table, and the Wilsons sat on one side, while the Cuddys sat on the other. Riley was in the living room, lying in his playpen.

Mrs. Wilson had overheard parts of the conversation between Cuddy and her mother, and she thought that it would be best to change the subject to one that Cuddy was actually comfortable talking about. "Lisa, we're so glad that you managed to get us tickets to the hospital's New Year's Eve Ball."

Cuddy smiled. She liked this topic much more than the last one. "Oh, it was no problem at all."

"I understand it's a benefit," said Mr. Wilson. "Which department are you raising money for?"

"Well," said Cuddy. "We've finally put a new lab in Oncology, so now we're raising funds for Immunology."

"Immunology?" asked Mrs. Wilson. "Isn't that where you said Allison works, James?"

Wilson nodded. "She just moved there from Diagnostics."

Cuddy was a little surprised. "You told them about Cameron?"

"Who's Cameron?" both the Wilsons asked in unison.

"Oh," said Wilson. "It's her last name. It's just what everyone calls her."

They both nodded in understanding.

Cuddy continued her little speech. "They've needed new microscopes and lab equipment for ages. I'm really hoping that this ball will raise plenty of funds for them. It's such a shame that Cameron couldn't come, though, seeing as she's their new Assistant Head."

"Why can't she come?" asked Cuddy's mother.

"She's in Chicago with... with House," answered Cuddy, a little uncomfortably.

"House… House… House," repeated her father. Then it hit him. "Oh, that man you dated in college?"

"We didn't date for that long, Dad."

"But you dated, right?"

Cuddy didn't like the change of subject. "Yes, but only for a little while."

"How did this… Cameron woman meet… what was his name? Craig right?"

"It's Greg, Dad. And she worked for him until recently."

"She worked for him? And you're letting them date? Don't you think that's a bad idea?"

"That's why I transferred her to Immunology, _Dad_." She was becoming more frustrated by the moment, and everybody realized it.

Mrs. Wilson cleared her throat. "You know, I still need to buy a dress for the ball. Do you know any good shops around here, Lisa?"

Cuddy was thankful for the change in subject. "Actually, I need to do a little shopping myself."

There was much talk of shopping and the upcoming benefit as everybody finished their dinners off. Once all plates had been cleaned, though, both families proceeded into the living room. Wilson was given the honor of lighting the menorah tonight. So, he held a sleepy Riley in his arms as he lit all of the candles. Maybe with Chanukah over, their parents wouldn't be so pushy when it came to family values.


	19. Away in a Manger

**Away in a Manger**

December 13, 2007 – 12:06pm (Thursday)

Chase, Katie, and Carly arrived at the zoo as soon as it opened. Their plan was to spend the entire day at the zoo because it was so big, and if they needed to come back another day, then they would.

Before lunch, they had taken a picture with a koala bear, fed the Asian elephants, and seen the tigers and cheetahs.

Katie grinned as they all sat down at the zoo's restaurant, Feeding Frenzy. "This zoo is amazing," she squealed. "It's much better than the American ones!"

"I've never been to any American zoos," said Carly, "But I must say that I've always loved this zoo."

"Do you come here a lot?" Katie asked.

Carly shook her head. "Trina used to bring me down here in the summer sometimes, but when she moved out and got a job, she kind of… stopped."

"Don't you get along with Trina?" Chase was pleased to see that his girlfriend was taking such an interest in his little sister.

Carly shook her head. "When we were younger, we used to get along okay, but when she went to high school and started dating… everything changed. I guess she didn't think I was cool anymore." Carly shrugged like it didn't really matter anyways. Now Robbie was here. He was dating, and yet _he_ still thought she was cool.

Chase changed the subject. "So what do you guys want to do after lunch?"

Katie opened the brochure/map that she'd been carrying around in her pocket all day and read it over for the millionth time. "Oh look, Robbie! They have wombat-feeding."

Carly laughed as she read the article. "It's called the Naughty Wombat Encounter!"

Chase rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yes, that's exactly what I need," he said. "A picture with a wombat that House will most likely get his hands on and post all over the internet."

Carly was confused. "I don't get it."

Katie smirked.

"Oh please don't," whined Chase.

"You brought it up!" said Katie. She turned to Carly. "His boss always calls him a wombat, and one time a patient called him Skippy the Bush Kangaroo."

Carly laughed. "Ah, just because you're Australian?"

Chase groaned again.

"No," said Katie. "Everybody calls him a wombat because he's 'slow' and he only stands up for himself when someone really angers him."

Carly laughed. "Sorry, Robbie, but that_ is_ funny."

"No," said Chase firmly. "It's not! And I am _not_ slow! I got into the top fellowship in the country for a reason, you know!"

"Yeah," agreed Carly. "Because Dad called House."

Chase sneered at her. "I could have gotten the fellowship without Dad's help, thank you."

Carly shrugged. "Whatever."

Katie read over the brochure again. "I still want to feed a wombat, though."

Chase rolled his eyes in agony. "If we must…."

Katie grinned. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

The wombat feeding didn't start until 2:30, though, so they decided to explore other parts of the zoo first.

First they went to the Beautiful Bird exhibit and had more pictures taken. Then they saw the possums and the kangaroos. They could have fed the kangaroos, but they would have had to come back at another time. No one was really disappointed, though, because Chase and Carly had already fed the kangaroos before, and Katie was just satisfied that she'd get to feed a wombat.

When they finally got to the Naughty Wombat Encounter, everybody was ready to feed a marsupial. Only five people were allowed in the exhibit at the same time, so a young couple on their honeymoon went into the exhibit with Chase, Carly, and Katie.

"So you guys are on your honeymoon?" asked Katie. She was always interested in other people, especially if it involved relationships.

The couple nodded and looked at the three people before them. The man had blond hair, but there were hints of brown in it. Both the women had light blonde hair. The man had greenish eyes. The older woman had bright blue eyes, but the younger had chocolate brown eyes. The couple couldn't help but wonder if the man was dating one of the women and if he was possibly just friends with the other.

"What about you guys?" asked the woman.

"Oh, we're just here on vacation," said Katie.

"Well, I'm not," added Carly with her heavy Australian accent. "I live in Melbourne."

The American couple nodded. "So how do you know them?" the man asked.

Carly looked at Katie and Chase as they walked down the hill, ahead of her. "Oh, he's my brother, and that's his girlfriend. He used to live in Melbourne, but he moved to the states a long time ago."

Both the man and the woman nodded. They understood now, so Carly trotted ahead to catch up with her brother and Katie.

"So where are these wombats?" asked Carly as she approached them.

Suddenly, a zoo keeper came in front of them though, with a wombat close at her side. There was a professional photographer sitting by the tree as well.

"Welcome to the Naughty Wombat Experience," said the zoo keeper, probably _too_ enthusiastically. "This is Robby, one of our resident wombats."

Carly and Katie both started laughing as they poked Chase in the arm. Chase just scoffed though. Why had he agreed to this?

It wasn't long before several other wombats came out to meet the five visitors. Carly and Katie had their pictures taken with the cuddly creatures, and the made sure that Chase did too.

"These little guys are so cute," said Carly as she fed a wombat. "I've always wanted a pet."

"Why didn't you get one?" asked Katie.

"Are you kidding?" snorted Chase. "Pam would never let an animal in her house."

Carly mimicked her mother's nasally voice. "They'll get hair all over the carpet!"

Chase and Katie both laughed at her impression as they fed a wombat together and had their picture taken while doing so.

"Maybe I'll get a pet someday," Carly sighed.

Both Chase and Katie felt bad for her, but Carly seemed more hopeful than disappointed with the situation. She always had such a positive outlook on things.

It wasn't long before their time was up, and all five people had to leave the Naughty Wombat Experience. Katie wanted to see the dingoes and the otters before they went back to the hotel, though. Chase and Carly were fine with this.

Once everybody had seen everything that they wanted to see, they all headed back to their hotel room and made plans for their last few days in Sydney. Carly and Katie really wanted to do a little more shopping, so Chase finally agreed. Katie was happy he'd consented, too, because she had to go back to Melbourne with him in just three more days, and she wanted to make sure she was fully stocked!


	20. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Baby, It's Cold Outside**

December 14, 2007 – 8:45pm (Friday)

Christmas was approaching in just ten more days, and House still hadn't bought Cameron a Christmas gift. Yes, he was aware that it was horrible for him to wait so long to buy her a gift, but that didn't change the fact that he had absolutely no idea what to get her. After much thought, he finally called Wilson. He always had a knack for buying thoughtful gifts.

Wilson: Hey, what's up?

House: I need help.

Wilson: I've been telling you that for years. Glad you've finally admitted it.

House: I don't know what to get Allison for Christmas.

Wilson: Are you serious?

House: You know I'm not good with gifts.

Wilson: House, Christmas is in ten days. Why did you wait so long to buy her something?!

House: I thought I would have gotten an idea by now.

Wilson: Well, obviously not.

House: Thanks, you're really helping.

Wilson: Sorry. So what kind of gift were you thinking of?

House: What do you mean?

Wilson: Well, do you want to get her something sweet and thoughtful or something ridiculously expensive?

House: Um… both…?

Wilson: So get her jewelry.

House: That's not sweet and thoughtful at all! Everybody buys jewelry.

Wilson: Does she want anything?

House: What?

Wilson: Has she always wanted something?

House: I don't know. How should I know?

Wilson: You've been dating her for 9 months, House!

House: So?

Wilson: You've known her for 4 years!

House: I'm with you so far.

Wilson: My point is that you should know by now what she likes and doesn't like.

House: Well, I know what she likes, but still don't know what to get her.

Wilson: Okay… what does she like?

House: She likes… teddy bears and puppy dogs and---

Wilson: I'm being serious.

House (thinks for a moment): She likes… wine and ice cream.

Wilson: Do you ever think of anything besides food?

House: She also likes candles and lingerie.

Wilson: Do you ever think of anything besides sex?

House: Look, what do you want from me?!

Wilson: What else does Cameron like?

House: She likes chick flicks and music.

Wilson: That's the type of thing I'm talking about!

House: Oh my god.

Wilson: What?

House: I know what to get her.

Wilson: What are you goi—

Line Closes

House hung his cell phone up as Joe walked into the Cameron's bedroom. He'd obviously been looking for House.

"Hey," he said cheerily. "Who was that?"

House thought before answering. "Oh, just the hospital."

Joe nodded as House got up from the bed and started walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Where is Mark's office?"

Joe led House to the office that Cameron's father often used. "Why?"

"I just need a computer." House sat down at the desk and waited for the computer to boot.

"Why do you need a computer?"

House logged onto the computer and immediately went to the internet. "I'm ordering something."

"What are you ordering?"

"God, you never stop, do you?"

Joe laughed. "Sorry, I was just curious."

House looked at the door. There didn't seem to be anyone coming down the hall, and he couldn't hear anyone in the vicinity besides him and Joe. "You can't tell Allison."

"Okay."

"I'm buying her a Christmas gift."

"Well, I would hope so."

House rolled his eyes as he went to the store's website.

"Why did you wait so long to get her a present?" asked Joe.

"I couldn't think of anything to get her."

Joe nodded. He'd been there before.

House sighed. Yet another obstacle. "Damn it."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to put on it."

"You don't know much, do you?"

House looked at Joe smugly. "I have to put something clever on it."

"Why?"

"It has to be something she'll never forget."

What would be something that Cameron would never ever forget?

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cameron and Angela were seated in the backyard on the swings of their old swing set. It was freezing outside, and the dark clouds above were just waiting to drop the snow on the ground. All the lights in the house seemed to be off besides that of the television in the living room and the light of their father's office.

Cameron and Angela looked up and saw House and Joe's figure in their father's office.

"What do you think they're doing?" asked Angi.

Cameron shrugged. "Probably watching internet porn."

Angi's jaw dropped.

Cameron smirked. "It was a joke, Angi. Besides, why are you so upset? You two aren't even together anymore."

Angi blushed.

Now Cameron's jaw dropped. "You two aren't together anymore… are you?"

Angi bobbed her head from side to side. "Okay, okay, we're back together."

"Angela!"

"What was I supposed to do, Ally?!"

"Um, I don't know? _Not_ get back together with your ex-husband, who by the way is your daughter's father."

"Why not? Grace really likes him, and so do I."

"Exactly," said Cameron. "If you get back together with him now, and things don't work out, imagine how Grace will feel!"

Angi frowned. She'd never thought of that before. "How do you know it's not going to work out?"

"I'm not saying that, Angi… I'm just saying… what if it _doesn't_."

Angi stared at the ground as she swung back and forth on her swing. "You know, I haven't been out here in a long time."

Cameron stared at the ground as well. "Me either." She began swinging back and forth.

Angela looked up at the single lit window in the house. House and Joe were still illuminated in the room. "What do you really think they're doing?"

Cameron chuckled. "How should I know?"

"You aren't the least bit curious?"

"Not really."

"You're really that secure in your relationship with Greg?"

Cameron smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Angela started swinging from side-to-side instead of up-and-down, causing herself to bump into her sister.

Cameron laughed.

"Don't you ever want something more?" asked Angi.

"What do you mean?"

"Ally, when we were growing up, all you talked about was having a big house with a husband and a bunch of kids."

Cameron chuckled. "Did I say that?"

Angi smirked. "You did."

Cameron shrugged. "I guess I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"I'd rather be with Greg than have any of those things."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

Angela didn't know how her sister was able to let go of her childhood dreams so easily, but she had. Greg must have really changed her life.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House was still staring at the computer screen, trying to come up with a witty inscription for the video iPod that he was buying Cameron for Christmas. Joe was staring out the window and rattling off cheesy ideas for an inscription.

"That's no good," House sighed. "What are you staring at anyways?"

"Angi and Ally."

"What?"

"They're outside on the swings."

"They're outside?" asked House. "But it's freezing."

Joe shrugged. "They're swinging on the swing set."

House got up and looked out the window. He could see Cameron and her older sister giggling together in the yard below. God, she looked so beautiful and so perfect. And then it finally hit him. He knew what he was going to write. He dashed back to the computer and typed in his inscription.

Joe chuckled as he opened the window. "I take it you've figured it out," he whispered.

House nodded. "Yeah."

"Good," replied Joe before he turned around and shouted out the window. "It's freezing outside, and it's getting late! Come on inside!"

Angela and Cameron giggled as they watched their two men in the office above. As requested by Joe, they both hopped off their swings and went inside the house. How sweet it is to leave the cold air and crawl into a warm bed with the man you love.


	21. Trim up the Tree

**Trim up the Tree**

December 15, 2007 – 7:39am (Saturday)

Cuddy and Wilson strolled into work, early as usual. They were both becoming more comfortable allowing their parents to baby-sit Riley. It was hard at first to have their son so far away while they worked such long hours, but it was becoming easier and easier.

They were both greeted at the door immediately by Foreman and Adler. Their patient's file was in hand.

Cuddy sighed. This wasn't going to be good news. "She didn't die, did she?"

Foreman shook his head. "Her BP is dropping rapidly."

"We've got her on fluids and electrolytes for possible dehydration," added Adler, "But until we know the underlying cause, we can't really be sure of any treatment."

Cuddy opened the file as she walked towards her office. Wilson parted ways and walked towards his own office.

"The low BP could be causing the neurological symptoms if her brain isn't receiving enough blood."

"We should keep her on the fluids and electrolytes," said Adler, "But we should start her on fludrocortisone."

"I don't think hypotension is causing the neurological symptoms," said Foreman. "She had them before her BP started falling."

"She had a low BP when she was admitted," said Adler.

"Call House," said Cuddy as she handed them the file again. "In the meantime, start your patient on fludrocortisone."

They both nodded and went to do their jobs. Foreman was going to start their patient on the treatment, and Adler was going to call House.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House and Cameron were both fast asleep, enjoying the warmth provided by the cozy comforter and the person who was holding them. But then an annoying ringing ruined it all.

"Damn it," whispered House, though he didn't move at all.

Cameron clenched. "Answer it."

"Unclench."

"Please answer your phone."

"If it's important, they'll call me back."

Cameron got the feeling that she wasn't going to win, so she reached over House and grabbed his cell phone from the night stand and answered it.

Cameron (sleepily): Hello?

Adler: Oh, um, Dr. Cameron?

Cameron: Yes, who's this?

Adler: It's Adler.

Cameron: Oh, of course. Sorry. You probably want to talk to Greg.

Adler: That would be great, thanks.

Cameron: I'm afraid he's asleep.

Adler (upset): Oh….

Cameron: I can help. You need a consult?

Adler: Well, I thought he might like an update on his patient. We're starting her on a new treatment, but we aren't exactly sure that it's going to work.

Cameron: What are her symptoms?

Adler listed the symptoms for Cameron as she read the whiteboard before her.

**Fatigue**

**Nausea**

**Vomiting**

**Fainting**

**Auditory Hallucinations**

**Falling Blood Pressure**

Cameron (yawning): And what do you have her on?

Adler: Fluids, electrolytes, and fludrocortisone.

Cameron: You think the neurological symptoms were caused by hypotension?

Adler: Yes.

Cameron: But her BP was falling after the fainting, fatigue, and hallucinations.

Adler: Well, she was admitted with a low BP, but it's dropping.

Cameron: Great, I'll tell Greg.

Adler: Wait, what about that consult?

Cameron: It looks like you've got things under control.

Adler: Wait, Dr. Camer—

Line Closes

Cameron hung up the phone and closed her eyes again as she laid down next to House.

House's eyes were still closed as he spoke lightly to Cameron. "You didn't give them a consult?"

"You were right."

"I always am… Wait, about what?"

"They need to stand on their own two feet."

House smirked. His little Ally Wally was growing up. How cute.

Unfortunately, just as House and Cameron were about to drift back into a dreamy sleep, they were awakened again, but not by a ringing cell phone. No, this time, Grace had walked into their room quietly with a bright smile on her face. Cameron opened her eyes and looked at her niece.

"Good morning, Gracie," she said sleepily. "Why are you so happy?"

"Grandpa, Joe, and Uncle Paul are bringing out the boxes of Christmas ornaments!" she said gleefully. "They're getting ready to decorate the tree! Don't you want to come down and help, Aunt Ally?"

Cameron smiled. "We'll be down in a few minutes."

"No we won't," said House, trying to fall back asleep.

Cameron laughed. "Yes we will."

Grace accepted her aunt's answer and skipped down the hallway to help unpack the boxes of ornaments. Decorating the Christmas tree was always one of her favorite parts of the holiday season.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase, Katie, and Carly strolled down the streets of Sydney, looking for an open shop. It was almost 10:00 at night, though, and many of the shops were already closed or closing. Still, they were destined to find at least one last shop before going back to the hotel. They were driving back to Melbourne tomorrow, after all.

"Oh!" Carly nearly shouted. "There's one!"

Katie and Chase followed Carly to a small shop on the corner of the street. It seemed to be closing for the night, but the sign on the door still said 'Open' on it, so they entered. As they walked inside, they found that the small shop was filled with tons of Christmas decorations and knick knacks. They had everything from fully decorated trees and wreaths to individual ornaments.

"Oh," said Katie dreamily, "Look at these!" She showed her two companions a pair of crystal snowflake ornaments. They sparkled in the shop's dim lighting.

"They're gorgeous!" cooed Carly. "Oh please, Robbie, can we get them?"

Chase looked at the price tag. They were very expensive. "Money is no object to you, is it, Carly?"

Carly simply shrugged. "So can we get them? Please?"

Katie laughed and mimicked Chase's little sister. "Yeah, Robbie, can we get them?"

Chase hated to disappoint them, so he finally agreed to buy them, but nothing else. They spent a few more minutes browsing through the shop, but none of the ornaments they saw even compared to the pair of crystal snowflakes.

& - & - & - & - & - &

By the time that Cameron finally convinced House to get out of bed and go downstairs, the Christmas tree already had lights, beads, and garlands on it. All it needed now was ornaments… and maybe a little tinsel.

"It looks great!" said Cameron as she entered the living room. The Christmas tree definitely gave the Cameron house a warmer touch. It made it feel a lot more like Christmastime.

"Thanks!" said Grace as she handed both Cameron and House some ornaments to put on the tree.

House stared at his ornaments momentarily, but finally agreed to place them on the tree, right next to Cameron's ornaments.

House didn't seem too enthusiastic with the whole tree decorating thing, though.

"Oh come on," joked Grace. "When you were my age, didn't you like decorating your Christmas tree?"

House shrugged. "I didn't always decorate a tree."

Grace frowned. "Why not?"

Cameron thought she knew the answer, but she let House answer her niece.

"We traveled a lot when I was younger," he said. "We only put a tree up if we were at home."

Grace frowned again. "Well that's no fun. At least now you can help us decorate our tree."

This brought a small smile to House's face. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was beginning to enjoy this feeling of inclusion. He never thought that he wanted a family until now.

& - & - & - & - & - &

As soon as Foreman went to start his patient, Holly, on fludrocortisone, something else went wrong. Of course it did.

When Foreman entered the room, Holly's heart rate started dropping. Foreman rushed for the defibrillators as Frank jumped out of the way. As soon as the defibrillators were charged, though, Holly's heart rate steadied out on its own. She was having heart palpitations. It _had_ to be a toxin!

"What is it?" asked Frank curtly. "What's wrong with her?!"

"She's having heart palpitations," said Foreman. "We'll run an EKG to confirm."

With that, Foreman rolled Holly out of her room, leaving a distressed Frank to sit in the chair that was by his wife's bedside.

& - & - & - & - & - &

As soon as the Christmas tree was completely decorated, everyone in the house marveled at it. Joe found some more decorations at the bottom of the box and hung them up around the house. This included a bough of mistletoe, which he hung up in the doorframe between the kitchen and the living room.

When House saw the mistletoe, he was eager to pull Cameron underneath it. Cameron willingly kissed him under the beautiful plant. Right as she started to pull back, though, House's cell phone rang. He immediately broke the kiss, leaving Cameron standing in front of him.

"Gee," she joked. "You really know how to make a girl feel wanted."

House rolled his eyes as he answered his cell phone.

House: What can I do for you on this lovely day?

Foreman: Are you high?

House: There is no better time to ask favors of me than when I am high. You should know that by now.

Foreman: Yeah, what was I thinking?

House: I take it the patient has a new symptom.

Foreman: Yeah, she does. How did you know?

House: Because _you_ hopefully know by now that I don't appreciate pointless updates.

Foreman (annoyed): She had an arrhythmia. I did an EKG, and it confirmed constant palpitations.

House looked up at the bough of mistletoe as he tried to recall the symptoms that Cameron had listed to him earlier that morning.

Foreman: House…? Are you there?

House: Mistletoe.

Foreman: What?

House: That's the toxin. Mistletoe.

Foreman: Wouldn't that show up on a toxin screen?

House: The amines in mistletoe are not recognized on basic toxin screens.

Foreman (sighing): How could she have gotten that?

House: You said she was a florist, right?

Foreman: Yeah. You think she got it at her shop?

House: Probably.

Foreman: Well, there's nothing we can do now besides wait. Any part of the plant that she may have accidentally ingested is going to have been absorbed into the digestive tract by now.

House: She's made it past the first 24 hours, though. Her chances are good.

Foreman: I'll tell them. Thanks.

Line Closes

House hung up the phone and stared at the beautiful woman before him.

"I take it you found out what was wrong with your patient, then?"

House nodded with a gleam in his eyes. "She was poisoned by mistletoe."

Cameron gasped. "Someone poisoned her?"

"No," said House. "A leaf or berry probably fell into her salad while she was at work. She _is_ a florist, you know." He said the whole thing quite confidently and smugly.

"Oh, well that makes sense," chuckled Cameron.

No more talk of patients. House leaned in to kiss Cameron underneath the mistletoe one more time.


	22. I'll Be Home for Christmas

**I'll Be Home for Christmas**

December 16, 2007 – 8:19am (Sunday)

The day had finally come for Chase and the girls to say goodbye to Sydney. None of them were quite happy about it, but they all knew that they would have to return to Melbourne some time, right?

With every item they packed in their bags, they became sadder and sadder.

Katie picked up a photo of her and Chase lying in the grass at the zoo. Robby, the resident wombat, was in between them. She knew that Chase wasn't happy to be seeing the wombat experience, but he actually seemed rather content in that picture. Katie sighed as she placed the photo carefully at the bottom of her suitcase.

Carly picked up her beautiful dress that she had worn to the opera just nights ago. It was definitely a night that she would never forget. Everything about it had been perfect. The dinner was marvelous, and the singing was grand, but best of all, she had spent it with her brother and Katie. Carly frowned as she packed the dress away.

Chase looked suspiciously around the hotel room before opening a velvet box. Inside was the sapphire and diamond bracelet that he planned to give Katie in less than 10 days time. He hoped that she would like it. He placed it carefully under all of his shirts, next to the two crystal snowflakes that he had bought for Carly and Katie. He sure had spent a lot of money on this trip, but deep down he knew that it were worth it just to see them smile.

Once all their bags were packed and ready to go, Chase helped the girls load their suitcases into the back of the car.

Katie hopped into the passenger seat, and Carly stretched out in the back seat of the car. Chase insisted upon driving for the entire nine hour drive back to Melbourne.

It wasn't long into the drive before Chase sensed much unease with Carly and Katie. He knew that neither of them was happy to be leaving Sydney. To help lighten the atmosphere a bit, he put on some cheery Christmas tunes.

They seemed to help.


	23. All I Want for Christmas is You

**All I Want for Christmas is You**

December 19, 2007 – 5:02am (Wednesday)

House awoke early in the morning. I know, weird, huh? Well, he actually had a reason to wake up early this morning, and it wasn't Cameron. Well, it was Cameron, but not exactly. Yesterday was the day that he had expected Cameron's iPod to be shipped to the house, and he didn't want anyone to know what he had gotten her.

House carefully walked down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. This may sound simple, but for a cripple, it was no easy feat.

When House finally _did_ reach the bottom of the stairs, though, he took a minute to stretch out his leg before walking to the door. He opened it, still trying to be as quiet as possible.

Aha! Fed-Ex has sent it, thank god. And hopefully no one had seen it. Well, if they'd seen it, they would have brought it inside, right? House stopped trying to figure out if there was any possibility that someone besides Joe and himself knew about Cameron's gift. Instead, he just quickly grabbed the package and walked back into the house. He nearly dropped that package, though, when he realized that there was someone standing behind him.

"Damn it," he whispered. "Why did you have to sneak up like that?"

Joe smirked. "I thought it would be amusing."

"Well it wasn't."

"Well, _I'm _amused."

House sneered at him mockingly. "What are you doing up so early, anyways?"

"Ah, the question isn't what am _I_ doing up early, Gregory House, but rather what are _you _doing up so early," said Joe suggestively. "You never get up early."

"You barely know me," said House. "You don't know what time of day I get up."

Joe shrugged. "Maybe, but for the last week or so, you haven't gotten up until Ally literally pulled you out of bed. And now you get out of bed on your own? I must say that I'm proud, Greg!"

House shushed him. "Keep your voice down."

"Oh… and it's a secret! What have we here?" Joe took the package from House's hands. "This is Ally's iPod I take it?"

House nodded as Joe started walking to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" asked House as Joe pulled out a knife.

Joe cut the package open. "Well, I have to read the inscription."

"No you don't."

Joe begged. "Oh come on, please?"

House's face turned stern. "Give it back."

They began a game of tug-of-war with the package. In the end, Joe eventually won though, much to House's displeasure.

Joe opened the package. Inside was a small black box, the type an iPod usually comes in. He looked at House and say that his eyes were staring rather intently at the floor. Oh, this just _had_ to be good.

House quickly took the box from Joe's hands, and Joe pouted.

"Oh come on, Greg," he said. "I helped you come up with it! I should at least get to see what you put on it."

House didn't seem to agree with his reasoning, though. "Your ideas were all crap."

"No they weren't, you just didn't like any of them."

"Exactly."

"That doesn't mean they were crap!"

House rolled his eyes as he opened the small black box, revealing a shimmering black iPod. He took it out of the box and looked at it; he was probably just making sure that the inscription was correct. It was. He hesitated before handing it to Joe.

Joe grinned as he took the iPod from House and eagerly read the back of it:

_Allison, Will You_

_Marry me?_

Joe's jaw dropped. He looked up at House, who was staring at the floor again. The man didn't seem so eager to make a huge deal of this, so Joe tried to make a joke. "Wow, Greg, I'm flattered and all… but what would Angi think if I ran off with you?"

House rolled his eyes and held his hand out for the iPod. Joe gave it back to him. "That joke would be better if her name weren't actually on the iPod, genius."

Joe shrugged it off. "So you're really going to ask her to marry you?"

"Nope," retorted House. "It's supposed to be a surprise, you see. The smart ones come up with a witty proposal to shock their girlfriends. I'm taking it a step further. I'm coming up with a witty proposal, but the real shock is that it's not actually a proposal."

Joe was confused. "Do you even have a ring yet?"

"No…."

"When are you going to get one?"

House shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it yet.

"We should go today."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said House. "Who said you could come?"

"Come on," said Joe. "When was the last time you picked out a wedding ring?"

"When was the last time _you _picked out a wedding ring?"

"I gave one to Angela, remember?"

"Yeah, and look how that turned out," joked House.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Fine, do you want help or not?"

House thought about it briefly. "If we go shopping together, they're bound to talk."

"We can go today," repeated Joe. "Angi told me that she and Ally were going Christmas shopping today."

House agreed to let Joe go ring shopping with him once Angela and Cameron both left for the shops. They made plans to leave right after the girls before both of them returned to bed.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Angela and Cameron left for a day of shopping right before lunch. Their plan was to have some grub and then hit the shops.

"So do you know where you want to go?" asked Angela.

Cameron nodded as she swallowed a bite of her salad. "I want to check out that new music store that dad was telling us about."

Angela was confused. "You don't play any instruments, though."

Cameron nodded. "I'm still looking for a gift for Greg."

Angela's jaw dropped. "You haven't bought him his gift yet?!"

"Oh, and I suppose you've bought a gift for Joe?"

Angela smirked. "I've already done all my Christmas shopping."

"Then what are we doing here?!"

"You said you needed to shop, and you know me… I can't stay away from the shops." She grinned at her sister.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Fine, I want to go to the music shop."

They finished off their lunches and drove down to the shop in question. Cameron grabbed a box of guitar picks and a guitar strap. They seemed nice to Cameron, but House meant a lot to her. She loved him! She had to get him something better than this.

"May I help you?" asked a salesman.

Angela nodded eagerly. "She needs to get a gift for her boyfriend."

The salesman turned his attention to Cameron. He took in her beauty, envying the man who she was buying a gift for. "Oh, and what instrument does the lucky man play?"

Cameron tried to ignore the man's eyes as they roamed her body. "He plays the piano and the guitar."

The man nodded. "I see you've chosen some picks and a strap?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, but it has to be something… special."

"I can assure you that any musician would be grateful for these picks," he said. "They're some of our finest."

"Yes, I understand that," said Cameron impatiently. "But do you have anything a bit more…." She couldn't put her finger on the right word.

"She wants something expensive," said Angi.

Cameron nodded. "Do you have anything more expensive?"

"More expensive than guitar picks?"

"Exactly."

"Um, we have… guitars."

This piqued Cameron's attention. Maybe a guitar would be the perfect gift! "Thanks," she said with a smile. "You've been a great help!" She pulled Angi over to a wall filled with different guitars.

"You're going to buy Greg a guitar?"

"Yes."

"You know they're expensive, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay…."

"Which one do you like?" Cameron's smile was very wide now.

Angi looked at the wall carefully before finally pointing to a guitar. "What about that one?"

"No, it's too fancy."

Angela was confused. "It's a guitar."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "What about that one?"

"It's not fancy at all." She frowned.

Cameron shook her head. "That's the whole point. It's nice. It's new. But it's not extravagant. I bet it plays great, too."

"How in the world would you know?" asked Angi. "You've never touched a guitar in your life."

"I've touched Greg's."

"He lets you play his guitars?"

"Only when he's not home." Cameron smirked.

Angela rolled her eyes. "I guess it kind of reminds me of him."

"Yeah," said Cameron confidently. "It does."

Cameron and Angela called the salesman back over.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.

Cameron nodded excitedly. "Yes, I want that one." She pointed to the guitar that she had picked out for House.

"Okay," he said. He led Cameron over to the cash register to pay.

Cameron was definitely satisfied with the gift that she was buying for House. Hopefully it would make their first Christmas together a very merry one.

& - & - & - & - & - &

After Angela and Cameron left the house to go shopping, Joe dragged House out the door.

"Do we really have to do this today?" whined House.

"Yes," said Joe. "When else do you expect to do it?"

House tried to answer, but he couldn't think of one. "Fine, but let's make this quick."

Joe rolled his eyes as they pulled into the parking lot of a jewelry store. They got out and went inside. The store was filled with cases full of sparkling jewels.

"This is so wrong," House sighed. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

"What kind of ring do you want to get her?"

"What do you mean what _kind _of ring?" asked House. "I want the circular type, you know with the rock on the top."

"Silver, gold, platinum? Diamond, sapphire, ruby?" Joe was rattling off metals and stones, and House obviously wasn't listening.

No, in actuality, House was staring into a jewelry case.

"Greg, are you even listening to me? GREG?!" Joe walked over to the case that House was staring into.

"What about that one?" House asked.

"Why are you asking me? She's _your_ girlfriend."

House rolled his eyes. "Do _you_ like that one?"

"Yes, I like it," said Joe. "But it doesn't matter what I think."

"Then why did you insist on coming with me?!" House nearly shouted it. "What was all that 'I have more experience' crap?"

Joe shifted back and forth. "Okay, I admit it. I just wanted to see which ring you picked out."

House rolled his eyes and a saleswoman walked over to them. She sensed some tension between the two men.

"Can I help you find something?"

"Oh no," said Joe. "He's just looking for an engagement ring."

The woman smiled cheerily. "Of course! What type of ring were you looking for?"

Oh god, not _that_ question again. House didn't even bother to answer. Instead, he just walked away. Joe smiled politely at the saleswoman and walked away.

"What are you doing?" asked Joe. "She was only trying to help."

"I know that," said House quietly.

Joe sensed that something was wrong. "What's going on?"

"This is all wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have no idea how to pick out rings," he said. "I don't know anything about weddings or marriage or any of that crap."

"It's not crap."

"Things are going good the way they are."

Joe frowned. Was he saying what he thought he was saying? "Are you saying that you don't want to marry Ally?"

House didn't respond, so Joe went on.

"Look, Greg, I don't know you that well," he said. "But I do know Ally. I know she's worth it, okay? And from what I've seen between you and her, she really loves you, and you really love her. So what's stopping you from getting married?"

"You don't get it."

"Yeah, I do," said Joe smugly. "You're just coming up with excuses not to get married. Look, you ordered that iPod for a reason. Now are you going to marry her or not?"

"You know, a man shouldn't have to be threatened into marrying a woman," said House. "He should _want_ to do it."

Joe looked at House in disgust and anger. He held his hands up in defense before backing off. "You know what, fine. If you don't want to marry her, then don't marry her. But you're missing out, buddy." With that, Joe left the jewelry store and walked down the street. Was he going to just catch a cab and leave him here like this? What a jerk.

The saleswoman re-approached House, determined to make a sale. "So, you're looking for an engagement ring?"

House continued to stare out the window until Joe was no longer in sight. Then he turned to the saleswoman and nodded. "Yeah."

The woman smiled brightly. "Would you like to see our selection of platinum rings?"

"Are they expensive?"

The woman tried to conceal her frown. "Well, yes, but—."

"Perfect."

The woman smiled brightly and led House to a case full of platinum engagement rings. She spent nearly an hour trying to help House figure out which one was right for him. He eventually found it though.

House tapped on the glass of the case. "Can I see that one please?"

The saleswoman reached under the case and presented House with a beautiful platinum ring. The princess-cut diamond was supported by braided strands of platinum.

"I'll take it."


	24. A Quarter of Dawn

**A Quarter of Dawn**

December 24, 2007 – 6:16am (Monday)

Cuddy was awoken by a very annoying noise: the doorbell. Oh yes, the doorbell can often be very annoying, but the fact that it was being rung at 6 in the morning just made it even worse. Cuddy moaned and groaned (not in the fun way) before putting on her robe and hobbling to the door. This had better be important.

She barely opened her eyes as the bright sunlight poured through her door and into her house. "What is it?"

"Lisa, dear, aren't you ready to go?"

Cuddy forced her eyes open wider now. "What? What are you talking about, Mom?"

"I thought we were going shopping today."

"Um, yeah," said Cuddy. "Today meaning after the sun actually rises."

"The sun has risen, dear," said Mrs. Cuddy as she passed her daughter and walked into the house. "You were still sleeping."

"Yes, well, I like to sleep."

"You're sleeping your life away."

"I'm a night owl," said Cuddy. "I can't be awake at this time of day."

Mrs. Cuddy shook her head as Wilson walked into the room, almost fully dressed. He had gotten up at the same time as Cuddy, although he had awoken voluntarily.

"Oh, good morning Mrs. Cuddy," he said with a bright smile.

"Good morning, James," she replied. "You see, Lisa. This is what I'm talking about."

"He's an early bird," retorted Cuddy. "Different species, you see."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "You got that from House, didn't you?"

"He was using it as an excuse to sleep in the Clinic."

Mrs. Cuddy seemed lost by their conversation, so she took a seat on the couch.

"Look, Mom," said Cuddy. "I'll go get ready, but you can't just wake me up at 6 in the morning like this anymore."

Her mother agreed to the conditions. While Cuddy got ready to go dress shopping for the charity ball, her mother called Mrs. Wilson to see if she wanted to tag along with them. She did, of course, and agreed to meet them at the house shortly.

Before Cuddy could get dressed, though, she had to attend to Riley. He was crying again.

"Don't worry," said Wilson. "You go get dressed. I'll take care of it."

Cuddy thanked him and went to get dressed. When she was done doing so, she grabbed a cup of coffee and waited in the living room for Wilson's mother to arrive.

"I tell you," she sighed. "That kid has been keeping us up for days."

Her mother laughed. "Welcome to motherhood."

"No, no," said Cuddy. "He's usually really good about sleeping at night, but I think he caught a cold or something."

Now Mrs. Cuddy was worried. "Are you sure it's not something worse."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to be one of _those_ parents, Mother. I have to deal with them enough at the hospital; I'm not going to turn _into_ one of them."

Her mother frowned. "But what if he gets sicker?"

"I'm a doctor, Mom. I can handle it."

Her mother didn't seem so sure. She didn't have time to convince Cuddy, though, because Mrs. Wilson had just arrived, and it was time to go shopping.

& - & - & - & - & - &

On the other side of the world, Chase and Katie were having troubles falling asleep. It probably had something to do with the insanely loud shouting coming from downstairs.

"I can't believe they're going at it again," sighed Katie.

"I'm sorry," said Chase.

Katie frowned as she looked at him. "I'm not mad at them, or you," she said. "I'm just worried."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Carly really wants to go to Princeton," she elaborated. "If Pam finally decides that she just _can't_ go and it's _final_, then what is she going to do?"

"I guess she does have her heart set on going to the states, huh?"

"I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"Me either."

Suddenly the shouting was stifled by a slamming door that they only assumed was to Carly's bedroom since it came from down the hall. Maybe the shouting had stopped, but now their worries would keep them up for the rest of the night.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Unfortunately, Grace didn't have the most pleasant Christmas Eve morning either. She had awoken to the unbearable sensation of itching all over her body. She heard laughing outside her door, and suddenly, chicken pox didn't seem very likely. She got out of bed to find that Lily and Matt were just down the hall laughing at something, and she had a feeling what it was, too.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Lily put on her not-so-innocent-but-I'm-trying face. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Gracie."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not?" asked Matt. "Your Mommy and Daddy call you Gracie all the time."

"That's different."

"How so?"

"They aren't jerks."

Lily and Matt didn't seem too fazed by the comment. Grace wasn't satisfied though.

"Why did you do this?" she asked as she scratched her back uncontrollably.

"Maybe you should stop asking Uncle Greggie to stop doing your bidding."

Grace wasn't sure what they were talking about, but then she remembered the prank that Greg had taken credit for days ago. "I didn't ask him to do that!"

Lily and Matt didn't seem to care though; they just walked back into their bedroom.

"Hey!" shouted Grace. "Don't just walk away!"

They did though, and so did Grace. In her fury, she still managed to change out of her pajamas and into some jeans and a sweater before storming out the front door of the house. She needed some time to cool off.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy arrived with her mother and Mrs. Wilson at a dress shop not too far from her house. She was still a little grumpy after being woken up so early on her day off, but she had to admit that she was a little excited to be shopping for a dress. She had spent so much time planning this charity ball, and now she was finally going to have a little fun.

"What do you think of this one, Lisa?" asked Mrs. Wilson.

Cuddy smiled. "For you or for me?"

Mrs. Wilson blushed. "I was actually thinking for me."

Cuddy chuckled lightly. "Good, because I've never liked that color on me," she replied. "I think you would look great in it though!"

"Oh, thank you, dear," she said. "I think I'll try it on."

"Have you found one you like yet?" asked Mrs. Cuddy once Mrs. Wilson was inside the dressing room.

Cuddy frowned. "No, not yet. What about you?"

Her mother held up a lavender dress and grinned. "I think I'm going to stick with this one."

Cuddy smiled. "You'd definitely look great in that one, Mom."

Her mother smiled. "Oh, thank you dear."

Cuddy turned back to the rack of dresses and continued to browse, hoping that she would find the perfect dress.

Mrs. Wilson stepped out of the dressing room in a mauve gown that was form-fitting in the bodice, but spread out in the skirt. Both Cuddy and her mother adored it, so she decided to buy it. Cuddy was the only one left now.

She finally came across a white dress. It was sleeveless, but it covered her entire chest completely and wrapped around her neck in a thick collar. It displayed much skin on the back, but silvery strands of cloth connected the collar to the bodice. It was very form-fitting, and the skirt pooled out in layers of fine material. Cuddy even noticed a pair of white gloves that accompanied it. She just had to try on that dress.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, both her mother and Mrs. Wilson smiled brightly.

"Do you like it?" she asked with a blush.

"Oh, very much so!" claimed Mrs. Wilson gleefully.

Mrs. Cuddy obviously liked it a lot, too, but her comment wasn't quite as comforting. "You could almost wear that as a wedding dress, you know."

Cuddy frowned. "Mother, I thought we were done talking about this."

"I was just making a comment, Lisa."

"Yeah? Well please _stop _making comments like that."

"It was a compliment!"

Cuddy frowned as she went to change out of the dress. She definitely liked it, and she was definitely going to buy it, but her mother didn't have to bring up the whole marriage thing again.

When she had changed back into her original clothes, she placed the dress carefully on the counter (it wasn't the dress' fault she was so angry, you know) and pulled her ringing cell phone out of her purse.

Cuddy (frustrated): What?!

Wilson (quiet): Is everything okay?

Cuddy: No, my mother, she… oh never mind. What's wrong? You don't sound right.

Wilson: I'm at the hospital.

Cuddy: I thought you weren't working today.

Wilson: No, no… I'm not working.

Cuddy (scared): Jimmy, what's wrong?

Wilson: Riley's fever is spiking; I had to take him in.

Cuddy: I'll be right there.

Cuddy quickly paid for the dress, as did her mother and Mrs. Wilson. They didn't even stop back at the house before driving straight to the hospital.


	25. Run, Rudolph, Run

**Run, Rudolph, Run**

December 24, 2007 – 3:09pm (Monday)

Angela and Joe looked all around the house for Grace, but she was no where to be seen. Where could she be? They walked into the living room together to find House and Cameron working on a sudoku together.

"Have either of you seen Grace?" asked Joe.

House was still a little mad at Joe for leaving him the other day, but he was getting over it. "No, why?"

"We haven't seen her all day," said Angela. "I just assumed she was outside playing on the swing set or something."

"She's not outside?" asked Cameron, worry filling her voice.

House rolled his eyes. "If she was outside, they wouldn't have asked us where she was."

Cameron sighed. "Now is _not_ the time to be sarcastic, Greg."

House agreed. What had gotten into him? Oh, that's right. He was just being the usual a-s that he was. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Angela and Joe looked at each other, and then back at House and Cameron.

"I think last night was the last time," said Angela sadly.

"I don't even remember seeing her get up this morning," added Joe.

Angela cupped her face in her palms. "God, I'm a horrible mother, how could I let this happen?"

Joe pulled her into a hug as she started to cry. "It's going to be okay, Angi, we'll find her."

House and Cameron stood up and grabbed their keys.

"She can't have gotten too far," said Cameron. "Let's go look."

Angela and Joe both nodded and followed them out the front door. Hopefully Cameron was right. Hopefully Grace hadn't gotten too far, and on that note, hopefully no one found her before they did. Everyone shuddered at the mere thought of it.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase and Katie had trouble sleeping through the night as their worries echoed through their mind. They both finally crawled out of bed at 5 in the morning. If they weren't going to sleep, they might as well have breakfast. Katie put on her robe, and Chase slipped on a pair of sweatpants. They thought Carly could use a decent meal as well, so they strolled down the hall to her bedroom.

Chase knocked on the door lightly at first and called out her name, but there was no answer. She must have still been sleeping. He knocked harder, but there was no answer. Katie finally told him to go in, so he did.

Chase and Katie looked all over the room. Carly wasn't in it.

Katie walked over to the open window and looked outside. Well, there _was_ a tree next to her window, but surely Carly wouldn't have run away, right?

"Katie." The urgency and worried tone in Chase's voice alarmed Katie.

"What is it?"

"Her suitcase is gone," said Chase. He opened her closet door. The majority of her clothes were gone as well. Her purse and cell phone were no where in sight either.

Chase and Katie ran down the hall and woke Pam and Trina and gave them the news. They told them that they would go to the airport first, to make sure she wasn't about to hop onto a plane. If they found her, they assured Pam that they would call home.

So, Chase and Katie quickly packed their bags (an easy task since they were practically living out of their suitcase) and dashed out the door. Hopefully they found Carly before it was too late.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cuddy and Wilson sat outside NICU with their parents. All four parents were seated in one row of the waiting room, and Cuddy and Wilson were seated in the row right across from them. Why did they suddenly feel so guilty… like they were on trial or something?

"He's going to be fine," said Mrs. Wilson in her usual assuring voice.

Wilson leaned his head into the crook of Cuddy's neck, and she closed her eyes, trying to relax. She couldn't though.

"You don't know that," said Mrs. Cuddy.

"I was just trying to be optimistic," sighed Mrs. Wilson.

Mrs. Cuddy didn't feel the need to respond though. Instead, she just sighed in return.

It wasn't long before an intensivist walked out of the nursery and greeted Cuddy and Wilson. He was here to give them news on Riley.

"It's a good thing you brought him in when you did," he said.

Cuddy and Wilson both stiffened. That was _never_ a good line to hear.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Cuddy.

"What does he have?" asked Wilson.

The intensivist looked at them both briefly. "The flu."

Cuddy and Wilson were incredulous. "The flu?"

"But… but you said… that it was good we brought him in when we did." Wilson was a doctor. He knew the effects of the influenza virus, but when your son is lying in an incubator, you can't always remember your medical training.

"His fever is very high," said the doctor. "We've been trying to put him on fluids."

"What do you mean by trying?" asked Cuddy.

"His veins," started the intensivist as he raised his hands slightly. "They are very thin. It's very hard to get him on an IV."

Cuddy frowned. Her son's veins were thinning, and there was nothing they could do about it. "But you must be able to do something."

"We were finally able to get him on an IV," said the intensivist. "But not through the arm. We had to go through the leg, but there is still a good chance that the IV will blow."

Cuddy put her hand over her mouth, and Wilson pulled her tighter.

"Hopefully the fluids will help," said the intensivist. "We've also started him on a low dosage of acetaminophen as well; it will hopefully help with the fever."

Cuddy and Wilson both nodded as the young intensivist returned to the nursery. Hopefully they had caught the flu in time. Hopefully it wasn't too late to help him.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman put on his Santa Claus costume, and Adler dressed up in her adorable elf costume. They made their way down to Pediatrics to get set up for the gift giveaway. They had volunteered to help out since they didn't have anything better to do on Christmas Eve anyways. It wasn't like they had anyone to go home to.

When they got to the large Christmas tree that Cuddy had set up, children from pretty much every department were already waiting for them. This brought a smile to Foreman and Adler's faces. They were happy to be able to cheer these sick children up on Christmas Eve.

Right as Foreman set the large bag of gifts down, though, a shrill scream filled the hall. He stood up and realized that the shrieking was coming from a young, bald girl. She obviously had cancer, but what was her problem now?

The little girl fell to her knees and screamed even louder, tears spilling down her face, as she clutched her stomach for dear life.


	26. Santa, Bring My Baby Back

**Santa, Bring My Baby Back**

December 24, 2007 – 5:25pm (Monday)

After finishing the gift giveaway, Foreman and Adler immediately went to visit the young oncology patient who had collapsed in the hallway. Nurses had attended to her and helped her back to her room, but they were still worried about her nonetheless. So, still dressed in their costumes, they wandered down to Oncology and found her room.

"Hey there," said Adler with a warm smile. "How are you feeling?"

The little girl cringed in pain as her oncologist entered the room. "She'll be fine once we adjust her pain medication." He offered his hand to the oddly dressed people. He hoped they were doctors. "Dr. Patterson."

Adler shook his hand and smiled at him. "Dr. Adler. I work in Diagnostics. And this is Dr. Foreman, my colleague."

"Oh yes, yes, that's right." He recognized them now. "So, how can I help you?"

"Oh, we just wanted to check up on her," claimed Foreman. "Was the stomach pain related to her cancer?"

"I'm in the room you know." The little girl was tiny and fragile, but her attitude was anything but.

Her oncologist seemed used to it, though, and he ignored the comment. "Danni has uterine cancer."

"Isn't that rare?" asked Adler. "I mean, considering her age and all."

"Trust me," said Patterson confidently. "We've done all the tests. We're sure."

"They removed my uterus," said the girl bitterly. "And I'm still stuck here."

Adler was shocked at the girl's bluntness.

"Danni, we've talked about this," sighed Patterson. "We have to be sure that the cancer hasn't spread."

Foreman grabbed her chart and momentarily looked at her age. "You did a hysterectomy on a 10-year-old?"

"The cancer was farther progressed than we thought," sighed Patterson.

"Have you been in to see Dr. Wilson?" asked Adler.

"I've seen everyone!" Danni nearly shouted it. "I just want to go home."

"You haven't seen us," said Foreman.

Patterson was suspicious. "What are you doing?"

"What are her symptoms?" asked Foreman.

Patterson snorted. "Fine, you want the little monster, she's yours." He took Danni's chart and shoved it into Foreman's chest.

Foreman was pleased with himself, and Adler wasn't exactly sure what he'd just gotten them into.

"I didn't know Santa went to medical school," said the girl dryly. "And your little nurse should probably consider getting a longer skirt, I mean, unless she _wants_ everyone to see her—."

"That's it!" shouted Adler. "You're on your own, Foreman."

"Oh come on, Adler." He chased Adler out of the room. "It's not like you're doing anything tonight."

Adler sighed. "I'd rather wallow in self-pity than study her case. There's probably nothing wrong with her… besides the cancer and that god-awful attitude I mean."

Foreman had to agree that she was probably right, but he really didn't want to go home tonight. He didn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase and Katie arrived at the airport and managed to exchange their tickets for an earlier date—today. They'd looked all over the place for Carly, and a security guard even said he'd seen her. There was no doubt in either of their minds that she was headed to America.

Carly's flight had already left, so Chase and Katie's plane wasn't leaving for several hours. They had nothing to do but sit in the terminal and wait.

Chase ran his hand through his hair and smiled at Katie. "Merry Christmas."

Katie smiled back. "Merry Christmas."

Chase thought for a moment, and finally decided to reach into his messenger bag. He pulled out a velvet box with a bow on it and handed it to Katie. "I was going to give this to you later, but I guess now is as good a time as any."

Katie's chest tightened and she literally lost her breath as she opened the box. Inside was a diamond and sapphire bracelet. It was absolutely magnificent. "Robbie…."

"Do you like it?"

Katie was struggling to find the words. "It's… It's… I love it."

Chase blushed. "Really?"

Katie instantly pulled Chase into one of the tightest, most loving hugs he'd ever experienced. Yes, she definitely liked the bracelet.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Riley had been in the hospital for several hours now, and Wilson and Cuddy hadn't left for one second. They didn't want to miss any update on their son. When the intensivist exited the nursery again and walked their way, Cuddy and Wilson almost stood up expectantly. They didn't though. Instead, they just clenched and clang to each other.

"How is he?" asked Wilson.

"I'm afraid his IV line blew," said the intensivist. "His fever went down thanks to the fluids and the acetaminophen, but now that IV is no longer an option, we're not sure how long it will stay down."

Wilson frowned. "Can't you try to put the IV back in?"

"We can try, but we can't guarantee anything. We barely got it in the first time."

"Just try!" Cuddy shouted. "If you want to keep your job, you'll march right back into that nursery and try, dammit!"

Wilson squeezed Cuddy's hand lightly. "Lisa, calm down."

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I just…."

"It's okay," said the now frightened intensivist. "I promise that I'll try, but I can't promise that it'll work."

Wilson, Cuddy, and their parents all nodded their thanks as he went back into the nursery. Wilson finally decided that he needed to take his mind off of the situation. So, he called House.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Joe and House were driving around the town, scanning the streets for Grace. Angela and Cameron had taken a separate car. Suddenly, House's phone rang. Joe excitedly looked at the phone, hoping that it was Angela calling to say that they'd found Grace.

House: Angi?

Wilson: Not last time I checked.

House: Why the hell are you calling me?

Wilson: I needed to talk to you… Why did you think I was Angi?

House: I'm expecting a call… or rather hoping for one.

Wilson: From… Angi?

House (sighing): We're looking for Grace.

Wilson: What happened?

House: She ran away. We can't find her.

Wilson (sad): Oh, um, maybe I should call back another time then.

House: No, it's okay. I can talk and look at the same time. What's up?

Wilson: Riley's in the hospital.

House: What?! When did this happen?

Wilson: He caught the flu. His veins are thinning. They got his fever down a little, but his IV blew. They're having troubles getting it back in.

House (frustrated): I'm sorry.

Wilson: Look, you should go look for Grace. Call me when you find her.

House: Call me when you get an update on RJ.

Wilson (smirking): Goodbye, House.

House: Bye, Wilson.

Line Closes

Joe looked at House. He had a feeling that it wasn't Angi on the phone. House filled him in on Riley, and Joe offered his sympathies. House just changed the subject back to Grace though.

"Let's check the park."


	27. The Night Before Christmas

**The Night Before Christmas**

December 24, 2007 – 8:27pm (Monday)

Adler eventually agreed to help Danni the Devil, even though there was probably nothing wrong with her to begin with. So, they went back to the Conference Room to do a differential.

**Fatigue**

**Abdominal Pain**

Adler rolled her eyes. "There are tons of things to explain those symptoms, and none of them weird!"

Foreman opened the marker and waited for her to talk.

"Cancer treatments explain the fatigue… and the abdominal pain just _might _be caused by the _cancer _in her _abdomen_!" Adler's eyes were wide, and she was clearly annoyed.

"Are you going to be like this all night?"

"Are you going to let me go home?"

Foreman pretended to think about it for a second. "Um, nope."

"Too bad because you're not my boss."

"I am temporarily."

"There is _no_ way that House would accept this case!" she claimed. "Therefore, _we_ don't have to accept it."

"I guess it's too bad we already did, then." Foreman stared at her, daring her to go on. "Now… differential _please_."

"Fine, you want to be that way?" Adler scowled. "It could be food poisoning, the flu, a _cold_. You know these things, so why are you asking me?"

"You get a transvesical scan, and I'll draw some blood."

"Better do a patient history while you're at it," said Adler rudely. She couldn't believe she was spending her Christmas Eve diagnosing a cancer patient with the flu, or maybe something even simpler.

Foreman and Adler stubbornly walked out of the Conference Room to go run their tests.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Chase and Katie were finally able to board their plane at 8am, and they were on their way back to the states.

"I can't believe she just hopped on a plane to another country," sighed Chase.

"I'm sure she's okay," assured Katie. "We'll be getting in just a few hours after her."

"We'll be getting in _three_ hours later than her," said Chase. "What is she going to do in those three hours? She has no where to go. She probably doesn't even have much money."

"You said she took all of her money and her purse."

"Yes, I know that."

"Well, how much money did she have?"

"Probably no more than three hundred dollars," said Chase. It sounded like a lot at first, but when you're all alone in an unfamiliar country, and you're just starting out… it's not that much.

Katie frowned. "I'm sure she'll just go out to dinner or get a hotel room or something."

Chase shook his head. "Why would she get a hotel room? She wouldn't waste the money."

"What are you talking about?"

"She knows that we would find her missing in the morning," said Chase. "So she probably assumes that we're on our way right now."

"What are you getting at?"

"She'll find somewhere safe to stay put until we get there," Chase concluded.

"Where will she go?"

"The only places she knows about in Princeton are my apartment and the hospital," he answered. "She has my address, and I'm sure a taxi driver could take her to the hospital.

"And what if she's not at either of those places?"

"Then… then we call the police and we keep looking."

Katie nodded in understanding, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. No, hopefully they would find Carly at either Chase's apartment or the hospital.

& - & - & - & - & - &

A police report had been sent out on Grace, but they weren't declaring her a missing person yet because she hadn't been gone for over 24 hours. In a parent's eyes, though, that's a lifetime. House and Joe had checked all the parks, playgrounds, schools, and shops in the area. There was only one other place they could think to check: the lake.

Joe drove up to the lake. It had a bike path all around it, and it was great for morning runs, but tonight there was no one there. Well, there was no one except a solitary figure sitting on a park bench. Joe couldn't help but notice the resemblance of the girl to his daughter, Grace. He had to be sure, though, before he drove away. He parked the car and got out.

_Please_, he said to himself, _just please let it be her_.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson and Cuddy were still waiting in the NICU waiting room, coffee cups in hand. Their parents hadn't left their side either. They'd only been there for maybe five hours at the most, but still, it felt like a lot longer. The worry and anxiety in their hearts made every minute pass by slower than they ever thought imaginable.

"You two should go home," Mrs. Wilson finally decided. "You've been here too long."

"We've only been here a few hours, Mom," said Wilson.

"Our son is in there sick," said Cuddy. "We're going to wait."

Mrs. Cuddy wouldn't have it though. "No, no. You should go home and get some rest."

Mr. Wilson agreed. "We'll call you with any updates."

"You promise?" asked Cuddy.

"If his temperature goes up or down even half a degree, we'll call," said Mr. Cuddy.

"Now go," said Mrs. Wilson.

After much convincing from their parents, Wilson and Cuddy finally agreed to go home and rest. They knew, though, that even at home they wouldn't be able to sleep.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House waited in the car for any call that could come from Cameron, Angela, or any member of their family, while Joe got out and looked around the lake. He finally stopped when he came to the park bench. House could see as Joe grinned and sat down next to the small figure on the bench. He pulled her into a tight embrace. House heaved a sigh of relief as he pulled out his cell phone and told Angi and Allison the good news.

Meanwhile, Joe sat down on the bench next to Grace and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Gracie," he said quietly. "Gracie, we've been so worried about you."

Grace closed her eyes as her father hugged her. "Really?"

Joe pulled back. "Of course we were! We've been looking for you all day!"

Grace's cheeks turned red, but Joe couldn't tell if she was blushing or just cold. That's when he realized how pale she was. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her to keep her warm.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked.

Grace kicked a pile of snow lightly with her foot as she contemplated the question. "I don't know."

"Please tell me what's wrong, Grace."

"I hate them," she said. "But they were right."

"What are you talking about? _Who_ are you talking about?"

"Lily and Matt," she elaborated.

Joe smirked. "Don't worry about them. Everybody hates them."

Grace let out a small chuckle before her frown returned. "But they were right."

"Right about what?"

"I really _don't_ have a dad," she said. "I had Charlie since I was a baby, but even he left me. I guess I don't really blame him. I wasn't even his daughter."

"Oh please don't talk like that," said Joe sadly. "Divorcing your mother is one of the biggest regrets of my life, but do you know what the biggest one is?"

"What?"

"Not being able to watch _you_ grow up," he said. "I can't believe I missed out on watching you become the wonderful person that you are."

"Really?"

"Really," said Joe. "You _do_ have a dad, Grace. I promise I'll never leave you again, okay? Can you please forgive me?"

Grace's eyes wandered in all different directions, but they finally landed on Joe. She nodded slightly before hugging him once more.

"Merry Christmas… Dad."


	28. White Christmas

**White Christmas**

December 25, 2007 – 9:33am (Tuesday)

Grace was the first to awake on Christmas morning. She snuck down the stairs quietly and eagerly went to sit by the brightly lit Christmas tree. She knew Santa didn't exist, but that didn't change the fact that the presents were still nice.

She grabbed her stocking and poured it all over the floor. Loads of candy and goodies fell to the ground around her, and Grace smiled in glee.

It wasn't long before that glee was dampened though. Lily and Matt had awoken early too, eager to dump out the contents of their stockings.

"Oh," said Grace grimly. "Good morning."

Lily frowned. She felt bad about what had happened. "Morning, Gracie."

"I told you not to call me that, remember?"

Lily frowned again. "Look, just because we put itching powder in your pajamas doesn't mean you have to run away."

Grace scowled at the twins. "I didn't run away because of _that_. You think that was the first time I've had itching powder in my pajamas? I spent Easter with Greg, remember?!"

Lily and Matt both chuckled at the memory.

"Why did you do it?" asked Matt with regret filling his voice.

Grace's scowl turned into a frown. "You guys were right."

Now they were confused.

"What do you mean?" Lily grabbed her stocking and sat next to Grace on the floor. She poured the contents out so that they almost mixed with Grace's.

"You were right about how I've never actually had a real father."

Matt frowned. "We were only kidding, Gracie. We thought you knew that."

"If it bothered you that much, you should have told us," said Lily. "You're our little cousin. We're supposed to pick on you, remember?"

Grace chuckled. "That's okay. You can't tease me about it anymore."

"I don't know about that," joked Matt.

"I do," said Grace. "Because now I really _do_ have a dad."

Both Lily and Matt knew she was talking about Joe, and they were actually glad for her. The twins and their younger second-cousin emptied their stockings and exchanged candies and toys until all three were satisfied. Now they just had to wait for the adults to come down so they could all open their presents!

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson and Cuddy awoke on Christmas morning… Okay, I take that back for several reasons. One, Wilson and Cuddy _don't_ celebrate Christmas. And two, they didn't really wake up. No, in all actuality, they had both been lying awake in bed trying to sleep for the entire night. It doesn't really help when all you can think of is your hospitalized son.

"This isn't working," Cuddy sighed.

"I know," frowned Wilson.

"We're never going to be able to sleep if all we can think about is Riley."

"I can't really say that I blame us though," said Wilson insightfully. "I mean, he _is_ our son."

Cuddy shrugged; she definitely had to agree. Suddenly, Wilson sat up in bed and pulled Cuddy along with him.

"What are you doing?" asked the always curious Cuddy.

"Come on," he said. "I have a surprise."

And that was all Wilson would tell Cuddy as they changed into sweaters and jeans.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Grace, Lily, and Matt were relieved when all the adults came downstairs. Joan Cameron immediately started brewing a pot of coffee while Mark Cameron pulled out some cinnamon rolls that they had made the night before. When it came to opening Christmas presents, the children were always very persistent, so they were prepared this time. Once everybody had eaten a cinnamon roll, the whole Cameron clan moved into the living room to open presents.

Mark and Joan sat on the couch with Judy and Paul. Joe and Angi sat on the loveseat, and House took a seat in the armchair. Cameron lay back between House's legs. Lily and Matt took on the duty of passing out presents, and Grace took on the duty of opening them.

House's gift to Cameron was the last to be opened. Cameron eagerly tore open the silvery wrapping paper to reveal a black box. Cameron beamed.

"A video iPod?!" she shouted as she twisted around and gave House a huge hug and a meaningful kiss. "Thank you, thank you… so much! I love it!" She grinned with glee as she pulled House into another hug.

And that's when everyone stood up and started to clean up all the wrapping paper and trash around the living room. House used this time to wander over to Joe's side.

"She didn't look at the inscription."

"I noticed," replied Joe. "I was here, remember?"

House rolled his eyes. The whole point of the gift was to surprise Cameron with a unique proposal, and she thought all he had bought her for Christmas was an iPod? She had gotten him a guitar, picks, and a strap for goodness sakes. And she thought that the limit to his love for her was an iPod…? No, House had to find a way to get Cameron to look at the back of that iPod without ruining the surprise, but what would work?

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler returned to the Conference Room that night to do another differential on their latest cancer chick, Danni. Of course, you're probably wondering why they're doing a differential diagnosis on their "healthy" patient on Christmas night. Well, as it turns out, she really _wasn't_ healthy! Then again, you probably assumed that already considering she was a patient in Diagnostics….

Well, the blood test showed a high red count and a low white count, but that wasn't the weird part. No, the real puzzle came when Adler performed the transvesical scan.

"What do you mean it _grew_ back?" asked Foreman.

"I'm saying that her uterus _grew_ back."

"Uteruses don't just grow back, Adler."

Adler rolled her eyes. "Yes, I've been to medical school too."

"What did the scan _actually_ show?"

"It showed a perfectly healthy uterus." Adler smirked at Foreman.

Foreman wasn't amused though. "I'm being serious."

"So am I."

Foreman and Adler suddenly became very confused as they tried to think of any possible cause for an internal organ… growing back. They made their way back to the Conference Room to add the newest symptoms to the white board. When they got there, though, they were greeted by a guest.

"Um… hello," said Adler awkwardly. "Can I help you, Miss?"

A young girl, probably no older than 20 years old stood up from her seat at the glass table and looked at them, still unsure if she was in the right place. "This is the Diagnostics Department, right?" she asked in a heavy Australian accent.

Foreman nodded. "Is there something you need?"

The shy girl nodded. "You work with Robert Chase, right?"

Both Foreman and Adler nodded. They were beginning to have a feeling of who this girl might be, but it didn't make any sense.

"How long have you been waiting here?" Adler asked with concern in her voice.

The girl looked at her watch. "About three hours," she replied. "You guys sure do like to show up late for work. It's almost 8:00pm."

They both chuckled.

"Actually," began Foreman. "We worked through the night, so we thought we deserved a little sleep this morning."

The girl chuckled. "Of course…."

Katie chose that exact moment to storm through the door of the Conference Room. Hope was written all over her face, but it was soon replaced with pure joy when she saw the young girl in front of her.

"Oh Carly! Thank god you're okay!" She grinned and pulled Carly into a tight hug. "We were so worried about you!"

A single tear slid down Carly's face. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Katie shook her head as she let Carly go. "No, it's okay. We're just so happy that you're safe." She hugged Carly again.

"Where's Robbie?" asked Carly as she looked over Katie's shoulder.

Katie smiled wider. "He's outside. We have a surprise for you!"

Carly smiled. "A surprise for me?"

Katie nodded. "Come on!" She dragged Carly out of the Conference Room.

Foreman and Adler looked at each other, completely stunned.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Adler.

Foreman shrugged as he added the symptoms to the whiteboard.

**Fatigue**

**Abdominal Pain**

**High Red Count**

**Low White Count**

**Re-Growing Uterus**

They looked at each other in confusion, not really sure if they were more shocked by the symptoms or by the fact that Katie (who was supposed to be in Australia) had just stormed in and out of their Conference Room with a girl they had never laid eyes upon. And she didn't even say hello or Merry Christmas!

& - & - & - & - & - &

Katie dragged Carly down the halls of PPTH, repeating how thankful she was that she was okay. When they finally reached the front doors of the hospital, though, Katie actually let go of Carly's hand. A smile spread across Carly's face as she ran to her older brother and gave him a great big hug before kneeling on the ground.

At Chase's feet was an adorable chocolate lab puppy.

"Who is _this_ little girl?" cooed Carly as she petted the dog. "She's adorable!"

"She's your new puppy," said Katie with a grin.

"But… how?"

"When we didn't find you at my apartment, we assumed you had gone to the hospital," explained Chase. "On our way here, we saw a pet store and _had _to stop."

"We remembered how much you wanted a pet."

Carly grinned. "You guys didn't have to do this for me."

"We wanted to," said Chase.

Carly picked her puppy up and snuggled her closely as snowflakes fell down on them.

"I think I'll call her Kona."


	29. Winter Wonderland

**Winter Wonderland**

December 26, 2007 – 11:39am (Wednesday)

Wilson and Cuddy came into work much more relaxed than they had been the night before. After dropping their things off at their office, they went back to check on their parents in NICU.

Mrs. Wilson smiled when she saw them coming. "You two look more relaxed."

"Did you get some good sleep?" asked Mr. Wilson.

Both Wilson and Cuddy shook their heads.

"No," sighed Cuddy. "We were up all night; we couldn't sleep thinking of Riley."

All four parents frowned.

"So, we decided to go ice skating," said Wilson. "I knew you guys didn't want us here, at least not last night."

Cuddy nodded. "Jimmy took me to this really gorgeous lake, and we rented some ice skates. It was really fun."

"That sounds lovely, dear," said Mrs. Cuddy.

"We're still glad to have you back though," added Mr. Cuddy.

Then Cuddy didn't seem quite as cheery. "How is he doing?"

"His vitals are stable, but they're thinking that he's going to have to pull through this one on his own."

Both Cuddy and Wilson frowned.

"He's getting better, though, dear," assured Mrs. Wilson. "Just give it time, okay?"

Cuddy nodded. "Thank you."

Cuddy and Wilson said that they had some work to do today, but they would be by regularly to check up on Riley. In their language, though, regularly meant three times an hour.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler went to do their morning check-up on Danni, but she didn't seem very happy to see them. Instead of the standard 'hello' or 'good morning,' she decided to throw up on them. They went to the closest locker room to clean up.

"Do you still think it's not cancer?" Foreman asked bitterly as he wiped the vomit from his lab coat.

Adler shrugged. "I'm only telling you what I saw."

"Well, you must have screwed up the test then."

"I know how to do a simple scan, okay?"

Foreman shrugged. "I'll believe you when you come up with a reason for a uterus to grow back."

Adler rolled her eyes. "I know Chase was supposed to be on vacation for the rest of the month, but I'm calling him in anyways. We could use a little help around here."

Foreman had to agree that it had been hard to manage the department with only him and Adler around, so he didn't even try to stop Adler from calling Chase.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Carly, Chase, and Katie were all at Katie's apartment packing up some of Katie's things. All of the furniture was staying for Carly's sake, but Katie wanted to bring some of her things to Chase's place of course. They were finishing up with the last box when Chase's cell phone rang.

Chase: Hello?

Adler: Are you busy today?

Chase: We're just finishing something up, why?

Adler: We were just wondering if you wanted to come into work today.

Chase: Why would I want to come into work on my vacation?

Adler (laughing): We'll make sure House knows so he doesn't take it from your vacation days.

Chase: I'll be there in an hour or so.

Adler: Thanks.

Line Closes

"Who was that?" asked Katie.

"Adler wants me to come into work today," he said.

Katie shrugged. "I guess it's a good thing. At least this way you don't lose as many vacation days."

Chase had to agree. "When are you going back to work?"

"Well, I can go see if the ICU needs me today, but if not, I'll probably start back up on Monday at the latest," she said. "I don't have very much to unpack."

So, Katie agreed to stay at the apartment and unpack her things while Chase went into work. Of course, Carly wanted to go to medical school after her undergraduate study at Princeton, so she was eager to go into work with Chase. She wanted to see some action!

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cameron and Angela decided to take Grace, Lily, and Matt sledding, and Joe and House decided to tag along as well. House had gone down the hill a few times, but with his leg it was very risky, so he chose to just sit on the hood of the car at the top of the hill and watch while everyone else went down. It wasn't that bad, though, because Joe would keep him company.

"Has she looked at the back yet?" asked Joe as Angela and Cameron sped down the hill on their sleds.

House shook his head. "Nope."

Joe thought for a minute. "You need to find some way to get her to look at the back without ruining the surprise."

House rolled his eyes. "You think?"

Joe sneered. "Maybe… maybe you should leave her a note saying 'Look at the iPod.'"

"Yes, that's not suspicious at all!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "You could plug your iPod into your laptop to download songs, and ask her if she wants any on them. If she says yes, she'll have to bring it to you. She's bound to look at the back."

House thought about it. "That might actually work."

Joe smirked. "Who's the genius?" He pointed to himself smugly.

Then House smirked at him as he got off the hood of the car. "_I'm _the genius."

Joe frowned. "You were supposed to say that _I _was the genius."

"But you aren't a genius; I am."

Joe rolled his eyes. There was just no winning with Gregory House, was there?

& - & - & - & - & - &

Foreman and Adler were a little surprised when Chase came into work with Carly. Still, they were eager to meet the young girl who had interrupted their differential last night.

"Foreman, Adler, this is my little sister Carly," said Chase. "Carly, this is Foreman and Adler."

Carly shook their hands politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"She's attending Princeton this fall," added Chase. "She wants to be a doctor, and she wanted to sit in on the differential. I hope that's okay."

Foreman and Adler both agreed that it was okay, but they probably needed the permission of Danni's parents first. Then again, when did _they_ ever play by the rules?

Carly took a seat at the glass table and grinned as she saw a list of symptoms written on the infamous white board.

"So what have we got?"


	30. Dr Hoovey, You Were Right

**Dr. Hoovey, You Were Right**

December 28, 2007 – 3:59pm (Friday)

Foreman, Adler, and Chase had been working on Danni's case for several days now. Her symptoms hadn't improved, so Foreman insisted that it was cancer. Adler redid the transvesical scan (with Foreman _and_ Chase in the room) just to prove him wrong.

"Well, maybe it's just another tumor," suggested Chase. "Maybe it… grew back?"

"It would make more sense than her uterus growing back," said Foreman.

"But it wasn't a tumor!" insisted Adler. "You _both _saw the scan! It was a perfectly healthy uterus!"

Neither Chase nor Foreman argued. They had all seen it, but they were trying to come up with something other than organs just magically reappearing.

"Did you guys solve your case yet?" asked Carly. She was waiting for them at the glass table reading a magazine.

"No," sighed Chase. They all sat down around the table to look at the white board.

**Fatigue**

**Abdominal Pain**

**High Red Count**

**Low White Count**

**Re-Growing Uterus**

**Nausea**

**Vomitting**

"Maybe you screwed up the test," suggested Foreman.

Adler was about to burst. "I did the test _twice_, and you were both in the room!"

"Maybe you were accidentally looking at another organ," suggest Carly casually as she flipped through her magazine.

Adler rolled her eyes. "You guys were there! I was in the right spot!"

"Wait a minute…" started Chase.

"What is it?" asked Foreman.

"That's it!"

"What's it?"

"We were looking at another organ!"

"Chase, what are you talking about?" Adler was becoming very impatient with Blondie.

"Her spleen."

"We weren't looking at her spleen, _Chase_. I was in the right spot! You were there!"

Chase seemed very persistent, though. "Yes, we were looking at her spleen. She has Wandering Spleen Disease."

"Her symptoms can be explained by something much less rare, Chase," said Foreman.

"What else would explain this?" asked Chase excitedly.

Foreman and Adler could both come up with a list of things that explained all of the other symptoms, but Chase might be right on this one. Nothing else would explain a re-growing uterus.

"I'll get a CT scan to confirm," said Adler as she walked out of the Conference Room.

Foreman briefly looked at Chase before following her.

Carly smiled. "You solved the case I take it?"

Chase nodded. "Well, I think so."

"Wandering Spleen, huh? What's that?"

"Well," began Chase. "Spleens are supposed to be attached with ligaments, but for some reason, some people are born without those ligaments. Instead, the spleen is attached by stalk-like tissue. When that tissue eventually twists and breaks, the spleen starts to move around within the abdomen and pelvis. The spleen is supposed to get rid of certain red blood cells, but once it becomes detached, the red blood cell count goes through the roof."

Carly smiled. "It sounds like it fits to me, but why would Danni have it?"

"Nobody really knows why people have it, but her hysterectomy was probably when her spleen finally detached."

Carly listened intently as Chase described the disorder. It sounded fascinating, to her at least. Disorders like _this_ were why she wanted to become a doctor.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Wilson and Cuddy had been miserable at work for days. Every little thing in the hospital reminded them of their sick son. That's why it was very relieving to get a visit from Riley's intensivist today.

"How is he?" asked Cuddy immediately.

The doctor smiled. "He's doing much better."

Both Cuddy and Wilson heaved a sigh of relief.

"In fact," continued the intensivist. "He should be ready to go home tonight."

Cuddy grinned. "Really?"

He nodded. "His fever is gone, and he definitely seems to be getting much better."

Wilson smiled. "Oh, thank you so much."

"No problem," said the man. "Just make sure that he eats well and is getting plenty of water."

Cuddy and Wilson both nodded. "We will."

The intensivist smiled at them. "If there are any problems, just be sure to bring him back in."

"Oh, we will," said Cuddy. "Thank you again."

"It was my pleasure," he said. "I'll have a nurse come over to help you with his discharge."

Cuddy and Wilson quickly grasped each other tightly in a reassuring hug. They were so pleased that Riley would finally be coming home.

& - & - & - & - & - &

House decided that today was just as good as any to execute Joe's plan. Hopefully it would work, and Cameron would finally look at the back of her iPod. He plugged his iPod into the computer and opened up iTunes.

"Allison!" he shouted. He knew that she was just down the hall, so it wasn't really _that_ rude.

Cameron quickly came to her bedroom. House was sitting at her desk with his laptop open. "What did you need?"

"I'm just downloading some songs," he said casually. "Do you want me to put any on your new iPod for you?"

Cameron grinned. "That would be great! Thank you so much!" She turned to walk away, but House stopped her.

"Wait, can you get your iPod for me?"

"Oh, it's just on my night stand." Cameron pointed to the black box that was sitting on her nightstand.

House tried to think quickly. This wasn't going as planned. Before he could respond, though, Cameron was already out the door.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself. Maybe it was time to try Plan B. This one was a little riskier and a bit more obvious, but he was getting pretty desperate now.

Once House had downloaded the majority of his songs onto Cameron's iPod, he unplugged it and held it in his hands. He read over the inscription and took a deep breath. He grabbed the velvet box from his suitcase and slipped it in his pocket before walking down the hall to the room that Joe, Angela, and Grace shared. Angela and Cameron were inside talking about something girly (he could tell). House took a deep breath before entering.

He held out the iPod to Cameron. "Here, they should all be on there now."

Cameron grinned. "Thank you again! Could you put it back in the box, though? I was about to start packing, and I want to make sure it doesn't get any scratches."

House was about to just throw the damn iPod at her now.

Angela looked at her sister wearily, then at House guiltily. House looked back at her with narrowed eyes. Joe told her… didn't he?

"Oh darn it," said Angela, not very well mind you. "I threw your box out. I didn't know you still wanted it."

Cameron frowned. "Oh, I guess that's okay. Maybe now Greg will let me listen to it in the car on the way home…?" Cameron smiled seductively at him.

"Um, yeah sure," said House. He was standing there, looking like an idiot now. He couldn't think of any other way to get Cameron to look at the back.

"Here," said Angela. She held out her hand. "I think I have an iPod sock you can use, Ally."

Cameron smiled. "Really? Thanks!"

House didn't know what Angi was up to, but he was so anxious that he was willing to try anything. He handed her the iPod and waited in the room while Cameron's sister searched her luggage. She eventually pulled out her own iPod and took the sock off.

"Oh, I don't want to take your sock," said Cameron quickly.

"No, it's okay," said Angi. "I have more at home."

Cameron nodded. "Oh, okay."

Angela sat back down on the bed across from Cameron. She made sure to have the screen facing her as she slowly slid the iPod into the sock. Cameron caught a gleam of something on the back of the iPod as it slid down into the sock.

"Wait, hold on, Angi," she said as she took her iPod from her sister. "You didn't tell me you got it engraved, Greg." She looked up at House. She was obviously eager to see what was written on the back of her iPod.

Angi smiled at House, and House stared at the ceiling. Thank god Angi helped him because Plan C was to dangle the iPod in Cameron face.

House's heart pounded as Cameron slid the iPod out of its sock and read the inscription. Why was she taking so long?!

When Cameron finally did look at the iPod, she almost gasped. She seemed to be reading the inscription over and over and over. Did she not believe him the first time or something? She looked up at House with tears forming in her eyes. "Really?"

House nodded.

"Are you sure?" Cameron choked on the lump in her throat.

House almost laughed. "Nope, sorry. I've changed my mind now."

Cameron almost frowned, but she realized he was just being sarcastic. When House sat down next to her and pulled a velvet box out of his pocket, though, she knew it was for real. Before she even saw the ring she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Allison, I can't… breathe…," he gagged.

Cameron blushed as she pulled back from the hug. "Sorry," she said.

House opened the velvet box to reveal the beautiful platinum ring.

Cameron gasped.

"Is that a yes or a no?" asked House.

Cameron was speechless. The ring was so marvelous! She took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger.

Angela smirked as a tear slid down her face. She had never seen a cuter couple.

"I think that's a yes."


	31. Breath of Heaven

**Breath of Heaven**

December 29, 2007 – 11:39am (Saturday)

Now, this wasn't the first time that Cameron had been engaged of course, but she was definitely more excited this time. This time… it was for life.

"So you're really getting married, huh?" asked Joe. He sat on Cameron's bed as Cameron dashed around the room, packing her things.

"I know, can you believe it?"

"Well, I _was_ the best man at your first wedding."

Cameron frowned. "Joe, I—."

"Ally, it's okay, I understand." He gave her a warming smile. "Greg's a great guy."

Cameron felt bad for talking about her engagement with her late husband's best friend, but she was still excited about the whole situation.

"You're a great guy, too," she replied with a smile.

"Oh, we aren't going _there_ again, are we?" Joe gave her a playful sigh.

Cameron giggled. "I mean… I'm happy for you and Angi."

Joe nodded. "Thanks."

Cameron definitely regretted falling in love with Joe as she watched her husband die. The day that Joe and Angela met was one of the best days of her life, though. Cameron was finally able to move on, as was Joe. And look where they were today.

"Why are you packing anyways?" asked Joe. "You aren't going home for days."

Cameron shook her head. "Change of plans."

Joe hopped off the bed. "Well _this_ is news."

Cameron smiled. "There's a New Year's Eve Charity Ball at the hospital."

"There's a New Year's Eve party at your parents' house." Joe tried to convince her to stay.

"They're raising money for _my _department, Joe!" Cameron giggled. "I thought it would be the perfect time to announce my engagement."

"Fine," he pouted. "Just ditch us all."

Cameron laughed. "I'm not _ditching_ you. I'm just going home."

Joe rolled his eyes. "That's what they all say."

"Well, they all say it for a reason."

Joe started to leave the bedroom, but he stopped at the doorway. "Don't you need tickets to these things? I mean, isn't that how they raise money?"

"Greg's calling our boss right now."

Joe nodded and left Cameron to finish both hers and House's packing. You didn't think he'd pack his own bag, did you?

& - & - & - & - & - &

House heaved a sigh as he limped around the back yard of the Cameron house. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but he was. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number to Cuddy's cell phone.

Cuddy: House? What's up? Did you guys find Grace?

House: Yeah, a few days ago… Did I forget to call?

Cuddy (rolling her eyes): Um, yeah you did.

House: Oh, sorry. How's RJ?

Cuddy: _Riley _is fine, thank you. Actually, he came home last night.

House (sarcastic): And you forgot to call me?!

Cuddy: Shut up… Why did you call?

House: Just _calling_ in a favor.

Cuddy: That's funny because I don't think I owe you any favors.

House: Okay, I'm asking for a favor.

Cuddy (reluctant): What do you want now?

House: I need you to add me and Allison to the guest list for the Charity Ball.

Cuddy: What? You said you guys would still be in Chicago.

House: I lied. Can you do it or not?

Cuddy: It's going to cost you.

House (as Cameron walks outside): Dr. Cuddy! How many times do I have to tell you?! Allison is the only girl for me!

Cuddy (impatient): How do you want to pay for them?

House: Can you just dock it from our next paychecks?

Cuddy: What do you mean _our _paychecks?

House: As in mine and Allison's.

Cuddy: It's customary for the man to buy both the tickets, you know.

House: It doesn't really matter. I mean, soon her money is mine, and mine is hers.

Cuddy (shocked): What are you talking about…?

Cameron quickly grabbed the phone from House.

Cameron (nervous): Oh, he's just playing around. So you can get the tickets for us then? Great! You can just dock both our paychecks. We'll see you at the benefit. Okay, bye!

Cuddy: Wait, Cameron, uh—

Line Closes

Cameron quickly hung up the phone and handed it to House.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked House.

"I want it to be a surprise!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to tell Cuddy yet."

House rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Are you ready to go yet?"

"We're going somewhere?"

Cameron's jaw dropped. "I told you last night, remember?!"

"Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like?"

Cameron smirked. "Get used to it."

"But—."

"And you really should be wearing a coat; it's freezing out here!"

House rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Mom_."

Cameron stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll go get the car warmed up."

Now House was completely confused. He really _didn't _know they were going somewhere.

& - & - & - & - & - &

Cameron drove House to a local dress shop, and House groaned immediately. If he'd known this is where they were going, he would have stayed at the house.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Well, you didn't expect to show up at the Charity Ball wearing jeans and a t-shirt, did you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Cameron rolled her eyes as they entered the shop. An eager saleswoman immediately scurried over to her and House. "How may I help you?"

"Well, first off, you can—."

Cameron cut House off before he could say anything inappropriate. "I'm just looking for a dress for a Charity Ball, and he's going to need a tux."

"I already have a tux," claimed House.

"No you don't."

"What do you think I wore to the Oncology Ball?!"

"We don't have time to stop at home first!"

"You expect me to drive all the way to Princeton in a tux?!"

Cameron sighed. "Fine," she grinned. "I'll drive."

"Oh, the _hell_ you will."

The saleswoman watched the encounter curiously, wondering what type of relationship these two people shared. That's when she noticed the ring on the woman's finger.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "I need a dress. He needs a tux."

The saleswoman smiled. "Of course," she said. "Our finest evening and ballroom gowns are over here, and if you would like to take a look at tuxedos, sir, they are right along that wall." She pointed to a rack full of tuxedos.

"Actually, I _don't _want to take a look," snarked House.

Cameron rolled her eyes in his direction. "Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like?" she joked.

House sneered playfully. "Get used to it." He finally walked over to the rack of tuxedos and picked one out.

Cameron was taking her dear time picking out a dress though.

"It's just a dress, Allison."

"I have to look perfect, though!" she said. "I'm accepting a grant with Maxwell _and _I'm announcing my engagement!"

"You look perfect in anything, why is this taking you so long?"

The saleswoman was beginning to wonder what the lovely young lady saw in the gruff older man. Perhaps it was money, but she didn't think that was the case.

Cameron exited the dressing room for the hundredth time that day.

"What do you think of this one?"

House leaned forward subconsciously. Cameron looked like a breath from heaven. She truly was an angel in that silky dress. The strapless, champagne-colored gown had drop-waist detail, and there were ribbons woven throughout the bodice and hem. House couldn't help but notice how form-fitting it was. It truly showed off Cameron's slim and gorgeous figure.

"I think he likes it," said the saleswoman with a smile.

Cameron definitely had to agree. She liked it, too, and decided that it was the perfect dress for the Charity Ball.


	32. Bring a Touch, Jeanette Isabella

**Bring a Touch, Jeanette Isabella**

December 30, 2007 – 9:05am (Sunday)

It was the day before the Charity Ball, and everyone at the hospital was very busy. Most of the doctors were making arrangements for their patients, but some of the doctors didn't even have a patient. These doctors were, of course, from the Diagnostics Department. The always bored Foreman, Adler, and Chase eventually agreed to help Cuddy set up for the ball. Carly even tagged along to help out.

Cuddy was excited when the entire Diagnostics Department (besides their head) arrived at Ballroom C to help her with the preparations. "Oh thank god you guys are here!" she nearly shouted as she ran their way.

They all laughed.

"I managed to get you, Katie, and Carly on the guest list," said Cuddy. "So that's taken care of, but I still have so much to do. I can't believe we only have today to do it."

Carly was about to set her hands on Cuddy's shoulders and tell her to just calm down, but she realized that it wouldn't be appropriate. "What can we do to help?"

Just then, a slimming young woman with unusually shiny black hair approached the gang. Her hair was pulled up in a bun that was probably too tight for her own good, and it was all held together with two chopsticks.

Adler couldn't help but see the resemblance that the woman held to herself, well, her old self. Ever since she'd started working for House, she'd learned to break some rules here and there (you know, loosen up a bit). She no longer wore her hair in a bun; that was for sure.

Cuddy grinned. "Guys, this is Jeanette-Isabella," she introduced the woman. "She's one of my favorite designers. She's going to be helping us set up today."

The woman flashed her pearly whites at them and offered her hand. "Call me Jean," she said.

Everyone introduced themselves and shook hands. Chase accidentally began introducing himself to Foreman at one point, though. What can I say? He's not the sharpest chopstick in the drawer; he definitely wasn't as sharp as the chopsticks in Jean's hair.

"Okay Jean," said Cuddy, getting right down to business (as usual). "All of the supplies are finally here; we just need to set up."

"That's fantastic," said Jean. "Why don't we start with the tables, then?"

Jean proceeded to bark orders at the Diagnostics team and Carly. She refused to do any manual labor herself (she was a designer, dammit!), but everyone had to admit that she had great taste when it came to decorating a ballroom.

As the team started to set up the tables and decorate them according to Jean's and Cuddy's wishes, they began talking about the latest gossip. Adler started it. I know, _girls_!

"So I heard RJ was finally discharged," she began. Everyone in the Diagnostics Department had become accustomed to calling Riley by the nickname given to him by House.

"I heard that too," said Chase. "Katie told me when she got back from work."

Adler grinned. "I noticed that nice bracelet on her wrist. A Christmas gift from her boyfriend, perhaps?"

Carly laughed. "I helped him pick it out."

"Well, Carly, you've got good taste," said Adler. "You can pick my jewelry out any day."

Carly blushed. "It's nothing compared to the rings they had there."

Chase was getting uncomfortable. "I'm not ready to be buying any rings yet, thank you."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Give it time."

"Can you guys help me with this?" Foreman was having troubles separating two chairs, so Adler and Chase walked over to help him.

"You think House is buying any rings yet?" asked Adler suggestively.

Foreman snorted. "Wilson would ask Cuddy to marry him before House asked Cameron."

"And we all know he's done that enough," joked Chase.

"You really think House wouldn't propose to Cameron?"

"No way," said Foreman confidently. "He dated Stacy for _five years_ and _they_ never got engaged!"

"Well, Cameron isn't Stacy," said Adler. She had never met this Stacy woman, but she wished she had. Chase and Foreman talked about her sometimes. She'd even heard her name mentioned once or twice by Cuddy and Wilson.

"That doesn't change anything," said Chase. "House doesn't like to commit, and he doesn't like change. There's no way he'll propose to Cameron."

Adler shrugged. "Well, I think you guys are wrong."

"That's because you're a _girl_," joked Chase.

Adler playfully slapped him on the arm.

Jean marched their way and clapped her hands loudly. "I hear talking, but I don't see working. Come on! Come on!"

Everybody quickly shut up and continued to cater to Jean's bidding.

By the time night fell upon the hospital, the hall had been completely transformed into an elegant ballroom. Even Cuddy was satisfied with the outcome.


	33. We Are Here

**We Are Here**

December 31, 2007 – 8:00am (Monday)

Cameron woke House up at exactly 7 in the morning. He didn't thank her for that one. She insisted that they needed to leave by 8:00 if they wanted to be on time to the ball. House countered by saying that they should make a fashionably late appearance, but Cameron didn't buy it.

So, here they were, one hour later. They were both dressed in their finest clothing (much to House's displeasure) and loading the back of Cameron's car with suitcases.

"This is ridiculous, Allison."

"Do you want to be late?!"

"I already told you… _yes_ I do!"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Well I don't. As part of the Immunology Department, it would be irresponsible for me to show up to this ball late!"

"You weren't even going to show up at all, remember?"

Cameron didn't exactly have a response to that question, so she started walking towards the passenger-side door.

"Oh… um, wait," said House awkwardly. "Why don't you drive?"

Cameron smiled. "Really? Thank you!"

She grabbed the keys from House and walked around the car, unaware that House's smirk was growing larger by the second.

The instant that Cameron opened the door, a loud bang was heard (as well as a loud scream).

"Greg, what the hell—?!"

House started laughing as Cameron inspected her car. The seats were now both covered in streamers and confetti. Apparently, House had tied a party popper to her steering wheel, and the string to her door. Now she knew why House was so generous with the driving arrangements. She looked at House sternly.

House shrugged meekly as he opened the passenger door. "Happy New Years?"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"You would _not_ have a heart attack from a little party popper," he insisted in disbelief.

"I would too," she claimed. "My heart is racing!"

House laughed. Now she was just trying to make him feel bad, and it wasn't working.

They both brushed the confetti and streamers off the seat and onto the ground outside the car before taking their seats. Cameron pulled her new iPod out of her purse and plugged it in to the stereo after looking at the engraving again.

"How many times are you going to look at that?" asked House.

"Every day for the rest of my life."

"Oh that's going to get old."

Cameron smiled at House. "Trust me, it won't."

House still didn't believe her though. He took the iPod from her and started playing some of his favorite songs. It was okay, though, because Cameron seemed to like them all.

& - & - & - & - & - &

About halfway through the drive (two hours after lunch), Cameron noticed that House was beginning to squirm in his seat. Well, he was squirming more than usual.

"If you keep squirming, you'll get wrinkles in your tux, you know."

House looked down briefly to verify that there were in fact no wrinkles in his tux.

"Why are you squirming anyways?"

"No reason," he said, probably too quickly.

Cameron saw right through it. "Now you _have_ to tell me."

House bit his lip briefly as he searched for the right words. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you."

Cameron smiled in satisfaction.

"I was talking on the phone with Wilson a few weeks ago."

"What's new?" she joked.

House rolled his eyes. "He mentioned something about you and Joe."

Cameron suddenly froze. She had yet to tell House that she had ever actually fallen in love with her husband's best friend. "Oh really? What did he say?"

"Well, he said I should ask you."

"Why didn't you ask me?"

"Well, I was trying to figure out why you hadn't told me first."

Cameron was relieved that House seemed more curious than upset, but the situation was still very hard for her. "It was a long time ago. I guess I didn't think that it really mattered."

"_It_ was a long time ago must mean that there _was_ an _it_…?"

Cameron sighed. "He was my husband's best friend."

House already knew that much.

"When my husband was dying… we kind of clung on to each other," she said, still trying to find a way to say the words out loud. "We fell in love… but nothing happened. I couldn't have lived with myself. I introduced him to Angi at the hospital one day, and we both moved on with our lives." There, it was out. Cameron's chest was tight, hoping that he wouldn't react badly to it.

House didn't react badly, though. "So _that's_ all Wilson was talking about?"

Cameron looked at him briefly. "Um… yeah, why?"

"He made it seem like such a big deal."

Cameron was definitely relived now. "Well, it's not."

It wasn't a big deal to House. Everybody has a past, but what people do in the present and who they spend their future with is what really counts in life.

It was a few minutes past 8:00 at night when Cameron finally pulled into the parking lot of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. House was late, like he wanted, but Cameron was satisfied that they'd made it there before 9:00. Cuddy had told her that that was when they would be presenting the grant to the Immunology Department.

"You ready to go?" asked Cameron as she stepped out of the car and fixed her hair and makeup as best she could. She smoothed her dress down as well and grabbed her purse.

House sighed. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."


	34. And a Happy New Year!

**And a Happy New Year!**

December 31, 2007 – 8:37pm (Monday)

House and Cameron had arrived at the New Year's Eve Charity Ball shortly after 8:00, and everyone was surprised by their entrance (besides Cuddy, of course). Wilson wasn't too surprised either (Cuddy couldn't keep her mouth shut). The three ducklings were excited to see House and Cameron, but House and Cameron were a little shocked when they saw Chase, Katie, and Carly. Maxwell was _very_ excited to see Cameron, though, and not only because he had a slight crush on her. No, in all actuality, he was pleased that his entire staff was present for the donation to their department.

House and Cameron were arranged to sit at the same table as Wilson, Cuddy, and their parents.

"This is not going to end well," House muttered in Cameron's ear. "Cuddy's parents hate me."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Gee, I wonder why."

House didn't feel like telling Cameron _everything _that he and Cuddy had done together in college… at least not right now. He faked a smile and pulled Cameron's seat out for her. "Mr. Cuddy, Mrs. Cuddy, so nice to see you."

They both looked at him in obvious disgust, but they tried to smile for their daughter's sake.

"So nice to see you again, too, Greg," said Mrs. Cuddy. "And this must be Allison."

Cameron smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm Allison Cameron," she said as she took her seat. She placed her hands in her lap to hide her ring, at least for now. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Both the Cuddys wondered what the genuinely polite and beautiful young woman saw in Gregory House.

"So, you work in Immunology I hear?" asked Mr. Cuddy.

"Oh, she's the Assistant Head, remember?" interrupted Mrs. Wilson as she and her husband took their seats after getting refills on drinks (open bar!). She introduced herself to Cameron. "It's so nice to see you again, Greg."

House blushed. He knew _that_ was a load of crap. "You too."

"What have you been up to lately, besides seeing this lovely young lady?"

Cameron blushed.

"Just work," replied House. These types of conversations never ceased to make him completely uncomfortable.

That's when Cuddy and Wilson returned from the bar. Without even thinking, Cameron stood up to hug them both. She hugged Cuddy first, and Wilson instantly saw the dazzling rock on her left hand. His eyes grew large, and he stared at House.

House caught Wilson's shocked expression and became even more nervous and uncomfortable. He gave Wilson a stern look that obviously said, "Don't you dare say a word." Wilson seemed to interpret it pretty well, but we all know what a big mouth he has.

Cuddy took her seat after hugging Cameron, so she never noticed the ring. Nobody else did either; at least they didn't seem to.

"We're so glad you could make it!" said Cuddy gleefully. "Maxwell is so happy."

House snorted. "Yeah, I bet he is."

Cameron rolled her eyes, but Cuddy seemed confused.

"What's he talking about?"

Cameron didn't really know what to say, but that was okay because House started speaking for her.

"Her boss has got the_ biggest_ crush on her."

"Oh it's just a _small_ crush," insisted Cameron. "Besides, he knows I'm with you! He never even made a move on me. I can't believe you keep bringing that up."

House shrugged innocently, but Cuddy seemed fazed. This was certainly news to her. She tried not to let it ruin her night though, so she changed the topic.

"How was the trip to Chicago?"

"It was fantastic," said Cameron instantly. "Besides that little occurrence with Grace, everything went wonderfully. How was Chanukah?"

"Oh, it was… nice," said Cuddy. "We had to work a lot, but it was nice to play with Riley at night. At least, he seemed to enjoy it." Cuddy and Wilson both chuckled.

Cuddy looked at the clock on the wall and almost gasped. "I need to get up on stage, are you ready Cameron?"

Cameron nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

Cuddy smiled and went up to the stage and smiled at everyone in the beautiful ballroom. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for being here tonight," she began. "Your donations have made a great impact on our Immunology Department, and I would like to express my greatest appreciation for your patronage and help in turning our hospital into a better place. At this time, I would like to invite Dr. Maxwell and his team up to the stage."

Maxwell, Cameron, Carsey, and Werner all walked up and onto the stage.

Cuddy grinned into the microphone. "The tickets sold for tonight's benefit has helped us to finally replace all the lab equipment in Immunology!" She handed the microphone to Maxwell.

"I would just like to thank you all for your donations to this hospital," he began. "It means a lot to me and my team. I know they were all getting tired of those old, ratty microscopes." He gave the audience his charming smile before continuing. "So thank you once again. And I've been informed that Dr. Cameron has an announcement to make as well?" He looked at her for verification. When Cameron nodded, he handed her the microphone.

Cameron beamed with joy, but suddenly her nerves got the better of her as she soon realized what she was doing. "Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Allison Cameron, the Assistant Head of Immunology. I'd just like to thank you all again for your contributions to our fund. It really means a lot to us. I'm the newest member of the Immunology staff, but they've already made me feel at home in their department. Before I came to this department, I worked in Diagnostics with the infamous Dr. House. And…," Cameron choked on the lump in her throat, but she finally continued on. "And I would just like to take this opportunity to announce my engagement to Gregory House." She grinned into the microphone. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

As the crowd began to cheer and clap their joy for the two, balloons and streamers fell down from the ceiling. Everyone squealed in surprise and joy.

Cameron giggled in ecstasy as she started her decent from the stage. House met her at the bottom with a hug and a kiss waiting.

"Well, I wasn't expecting the balloons and streamers," said Cameron, her smile never leaving her face.

Unfortunately, Cuddy hadn't been expecting the balloons and streamers either… at least not yet…. She smiled her way out of the ballroom and found the man in charge of tonight's Technical Details.

"What the hell happened?!" she shouted.

"Well, you told me to drop the balloons at the right time, Dr. Cuddy," he began. "I thought you meant when Miss Cameron announced her engagement…."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "It's a New Year's Eve Party! The right time is at midnight!"

The man looked both surprised and embarrassed as realization hit him. "Ohhh…."

Cuddy rolled her eyes as she stormed out of the room. "So much for _that_ surprise," she muttered to herself as she returned to the ballroom.

It may not have been midnight, but it was still a great surprise for everyone.

As soon as the balloons, streamers, and sequins fell to the floor, music began to play. Of course, this was just an invitation for everyone to get up and dance.

House and Cameron swayed across the dance floor (awkwardly, mind you), as did Wilson and Cuddy, Chase and Katie, and even Foreman and Adler.

And when midnight came, everybody shouted "Happy New Year!" It didn't matter that there were no balloons or streamers or sequins. All that mattered was that they were all here now, and they were all welcoming in a brand new year that was sure to bring joy to each and every one of them.

**The End**

A/N: Stick around for the epilogue!


	35. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

House and Cameron married in late October. They decided to have their wedding late at night (much after dark) in the park by the hospital. They had found a secluded area that seemed absolutely perfect to them. Cameron even got candles to float in cups on in the pond. It truly was a beautiful sight. But to House, she was even more beautiful. She wore a strapless white gown with a silver tiara that had a thin veil clipped to it. Her hair was down and loose, just the way House liked it. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him, though. He wore an all-black tuxedo, including a black shirt and tie. His groomsmen, Wilson, Chase, and Foreman, all wore black suits with black shirts and a dark red tie. To match them, Cameron's bridesmaids, Angela, Cuddy, and Adler, all wore dark red gowns.

It was a long walk down the aisle, but Cameron finally made it. She smiled at House as soon as she saw him.

"And who gives this woman away?" asked the priest (who happened to work at the PPTH chapel).

"I do," replied Mark Cameron as he gave his daughter's hand to House.

House took Cameron's hand and stared deep into her beautiful eyes. Cameron stared back into House's eyes and almost couldn't hear the priest speaking.

"Do you, Allison Cameron, take Gregory House to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health until death do you part?"

Cameron inhaled quickly from sheer nerves and joy. "I do."

"And do you, Gregory House, take Allison Cameron to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and in health until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then by the power given to me by God and the state of New Jersey, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

House was about to lean in and kiss his bride, but suddenly something very odd happened.

"Cameron, what the hell are you doing?!"

Cameron was confused. It was definitely House's voice, but why in the world was he upset… and why had he called her Cameron?

"Cameron! Wake up!"

Cameron opened her eyes to find that she was lying up against House in the back of an SUV. Something about this seemed rather familiar. "What? Huh?"

"Cameron, get off of me!" House rolled Cameron away from him.

"What's going on?" moaned Cameron as she tried to wake up.

"You tried to kiss me," he said bluntly. "That's what's going on."

Cameron was fully awake now and could hardly remember her dream at all now. "What are you talking about? I would never try to kiss you!"

"What, you think I'm lying to you?!"

Cameron scowled at him rudely.

"Oh fantastic," whined House bitterly. "You rolled over the last of our Skittles. Now what do you expect us to eat?"

Cameron sighed. "Well, if Foreman and Chase wouldn't take so long getting gas we wouldn't have this problem… Or maybe if you weren't too stubborn to fill up the tank when I told you to…."

House picked the bag of Skittles up and opened it. He started pulling some of them out, observing them. Was he checking to see if they were still edible or something?

"I thought you said I squished them," joked Cameron.

"You did," said House sarcastically as he popped several of them in his mouth.

"Hey!" said Cameron. "Don't eat them all! Give me one!"

Cameron opened her mouth wide and House tried to shoot the squished Skittles into her mouth. He was actually pretty good at it.

"Are you going to tell me why you tried to kiss me?" asked House.

Cameron was confused. "I didn't try to kiss you."

"Lie all you want; I know the truth." House fed Cameron another Skittle.

Cameron rolled her eyes, but suddenly the content of her dream flooded back to her. Visions of what might have been and what might still be haunted her mind.

If only it were true….


End file.
